Locals get chance to rub elbows at barbecue

Not only did he chow down on barbecued steak, baked beans, corn on the cob and Immokalee salad, he got to see loads of people he knew at the annual Farm-City Barbecue.

"I met new people and saw old friends I haven't seen in a long time," said Jaeger, director of MortgageQuote on Golden Gate Parkway in Naples.

He also struck up some business talk, discussing the building trade with a group from Turner Construction over an indoor dinner table.

The conversation centered on the rapidly disappearing land that builders and developers are having a hard time finding for new projects.

For Jaeger and many other attendees at the annual barbecue, sponsored by the University of Florida Collier County Extension at the extension office on Immokalee Road, the event was an opportunity to rub elbows, shake hands and hob-nob with some of the county's leading movers and shakers.

"It's great for networking," said Liz Cushman, community relations director for Merrill Gardens retirement center in North Naples. "It's what I came here for."

Collier Extension holds the barbecue to bring agricultural and city folks together so farmers and growers can show off their wares.

It's held during Farm-City Week, celebrated Nov. 21-28 across the state. The Florida Farm Bureau sponsored similar events during the week.

Collier County-grown vegetables made up the Immokalee salad, served traditionally without dressing. Large brown grocery bags filled with zucchini, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and other veggies were sold for $10 a bag.

While Collier County's agricultural industry was the highlight of the day, making contacts was the highlight of the get-together.

"You can mix and mingle all day long," said a man in the crowd of more than 600, which included bankers, business men and women, educators, government officials and employees, and a myriad of people from all walks of life.

Kris Thoemke, chair of International College's environmental management program, was one of the minglers.

"There are a lot of Naples old-timers here today," Thoemke said. "I sat and talked with (former Collier Sheriff) Aubrey Rogers and (former property appraiser) Sam Colding. It's still fun to talk to them. I learned things I never knew before."

Collier School Board member Linda Abbott worked the crowd, chatting with people she's known for years and some she'd just met.

"It's so much fun to be making so many contacts," Abbott said. "It's good to see old faces as well as new ones."

Collier County commissioners, state Rep. Dudley Goodlette, R-Naples, and Jennifer Edwards, Collier supervisor of elections, were among those serving lunch.

The Farm-City Barbecue has been held for nearly 35 years, said Denise Blanton, director of the University of Florida Collier County Extension.

Attendees paid $15 each for a food ticket. After the bills are paid, profits are normally around $5,000-$6,000, she said. The money is used to pay for 4-H Club development and other extension-sponsored programs.

"For the first time ever this year, we had Naples Lumber as a sponsor," Blanton said. "It donated $3,000, and we have a lot of volunteers, which keeps the cost down. We do say it's the largest outdoor party in Collier County now."