By CAROLINE CARMICHAEL / Staff Writer

Collins Chapel Fire and Rescue raised approximately $7,700 with its second annual spaghetti fundraiser and gun drawing on March 16.

“The purpose of the fundraiser today is to buy a new heart monitor for the department,” Fire Chief Jay Littleton said at the event. “Those things are about $25,000 a piece, so it takes a lot of money.”

Included in the proceeds for the 2018 Gun Drawing and Spaghetti Supper were 100 drawing tickets purchased in advance for $100 each, spaghetti suppers with salad, desserts and drinks for $5 per person, and a silent cake auction.

The fundraiser presented an evening packed with spaghetti, cake and anticipation for ticket holders.

Children played inside the fire truck parked at the rear of the station garage.

Guests from across the county lined the entire interior of the large fire station, backing admittance out the door and trailing the hungry comers to the jammed parking lot.

The supper was reportedly well worth the wait. Several seated guests raved about its flavor, which was fragrant in the Italian spiced air.

Inside the kitchen empty pasta sauce jars crowded the counters, and a line of gloved volunteers piled steaming spaghetti onto guests’ plates.

After most guests had been seated with their food, probate judge candidates Jason Calhoun and Rex Cleckler drew ticket winners of a variety of 10 firearms from Premier Pawn and Pistol in Jemison.

Winners must pass a background check before retrieving their prizes from the shop.

Littleton said the proceeds from last year’s fundraiser allowed for the training of five volunteers for the year, who will officially complete their training in about two weeks. Five more volunteers will be trained in the fall, still funded by last year’s event proceeds.

“We couldn’t have done that without your support,” Littleton told guests.

Collins Chapel Fire and Rescue extended special thanks to 2018 sponsors C & C Trophy and Sign Inc. and Central Alabama Ice.