The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Looking back on the 1950s when barbecue grills were being introduced into American culture, the craze didn't hit Waitsburg as quickly as it did other places. People were busy with harvest and they didn't want to be bothered at that time of year.

I looked at my old 1958 Better Homes and Gardens Barbecues and Picnics book and read the introduction:

"This is easy-going, hieverybody sort of fare. Poke up a fire and relax. For Dad there's all the how-to's for those big, thick charcoalbroiled steaks, plump barbecued chickens, for the kids: frankfurters, do your own kabobs and giant hamburgers.

Start a fire for a fresh-air feast. You're headed for a meal that's the best (says Dad) the easiest (says Mom) the happiest (say the kids who know) that you ever pitched into.

Build yourself a charcoal fire. You'll be a big success once you learn some tasks.

Whether for simple cooking or grand style, there's good cooking gear to please the expert or first timer!!"

Many of us at that time had experience camping and cooking on the open fire.

There was one expert, Frank Bramlet, who tended sheep for the Hales Sheep Company. He knew how cook a hot meal to perfection on an open bonfire, according to stories I have heard from others.

There are all kinds of barbecue and grilling gear available.

Our local hardware has some unique tools displayed on the sidewalk of Main Street. Pink pigs, black and white steers and John Deere tractors formed in metal.

I read in a recent Tri-City Herald Food and Wine section: "Did you know that more than 80 percent of Americans own a grill or smoker?"

When I talk to younger people, they tell me "I thought there were always barbecue grills."