BERNARDSTON — With the Pioneer Valley Regional School band preparing for a trip to Virginia in the spring, the Bernardston Kiwanis Club is raising money to help cover expenses with one of its traditional chicken pot pie meals.

On Saturday, Jan. 28, at the United Church of Bernardston, 58 Church St., folks can stop by and grab a bite to eat, all while raising money for high school students.

“They’re excited to go, but with the prices of everything, it’s just insane,” said Kiwanis Club member Dan Devine. “It’s easygoing; come in and sit down, walk through the line and get your pot pie.”

The meal will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in its original, sit-down format for the first time since the pandemic began. A takeout option is available for folks who don’t feel comfortable eating in a crowd.

Meals include chicken pot pie, with dough donated by Franklin County Technical School; butternut squash; cranberry sauce; a roll; drinks; and homemade carrot cake. Tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for children, and meals can be reserved by calling Joel Cole at 413-834-5484. Tickets can also be purchased from Pioneer band members or Kiwanis Club members.

Devine said the goal is to serve around 175 meals.

“Whenever we do an event like this, we shoot for the bigger, the better,” Devine said. “We need the parents and the friends of the band to support this trip.”

The Pioneer band is planning to travel to Norfolk, Virginia in the spring to visit the Virginia International Music Festival. Trip highlights include Chrysler Hall, the concert hall of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra; marching in the 70th annual Parade of Nations; and attending the International Military Tattoo, which features military bands from around the world.

The estimated cost of the trip, according to a letter from Band Director Eric Weller, is $20,000, and Devine is hoping the Kiwanis Club’s fundraiser can offset at least some of the costs. The band will also be running other fundraisers in the coming months.

The band fundraiser is the first of four chicken pot pie dinners the Kiwanis Club puts on each year to raise money for different community groups and causes. Following Jan. 28’s dinner, the Kiwanis Club will hold chicken pot pie dinners on the last Saturday of February, March and April.

“We do a different cause every time we do a dinner. It works, and I think people like to come out and support something pretty good,” Devine said, mentioning the community support the club receives from groups and agencies like the church and the Bernardston Fire and Police departments. “We’re so lucky other groups help us out. There’s always somebody.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

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