Fairgoers greeted with pork chop breakfast

PORTALES - What better way to welcome folks to the annual county fair than with a home-style meal of pork chops, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy served up on opening morning?

The Portales 4-H Club held its annual Pork Chop Breakfast early Tuesday to raise money for its yearly events while welcoming visitors to the 2019 Roosevelt County Fair.

The Portales Future Farmers of America also had a booth set up to sell raffle tickets to help fund their $8,000 trip to national competition.

"We've had a really successful turnout of community members and Roosevelt County 4-H members," said Ryan Craig, the Roosevelt County 4-H agent. "We let the Portales FFA come in for their fundraiser and both of us have had a really successful morning."

Craig said the Pork Chop Breakfast had sold about 500 plates by 9 a.m. at $10 a plate.

"We sell to the dairies and the businesses around," Craig said. "It's something where we can provide a service and provide a good food product so everyone can have a good breakfast."

While the adults busied themselves with the cookers, members of the 4-H club were busy serving food and refilling coffee.

Alyssa McAlister, a state 4-H officer and treasurer, helped man the Portales FFA booth at the breakfast. As part of both 4-H and FFA, she kept busy at the breakfast first helping out with customers and then manning the booth.

"Our horticulture team won state and now we're trying to go to nationals," McAlister said. "We're selling goat raffle tickets and gift basket raffle tickets to go, all the way to Indiana."

As a state 4-H officer, McAlister coordinates with 4-H groups around the state, both for their benefit and for the local Roosevelt chapter.

The money from the breakfast goes toward funding a variety of things within the 4-H program. It's used to purchase new equipment and funds many of the group's events later in the year.

In July, part of the money goes to sending 4-H members to senior and youth leadership camps. It also helps pay for the Winter Banquet in December. Some of the money also goes into scholarship funds for members to attend college or trade school.

While the money goes to a good cause, many fair regulars enjoy the opportunity to kick things off with a good meal every year.

Anthony Schroeder has been attending the Pork Chop Breakfast for years and is glad he can get a good meal while supporting something local.

"It's very good all around. It's a good cause and good food," Schroeder said. "The biscuits and gravy are always very good."