Bell High School seniors Tony Ash, Sean Riordan, Caleb Rhoden, Brian Bolender, and Edward Bolender shuck corn at the Wild Beast Feast.

Fifteen hundred hungry people gathered beneath a covered arena to dine on a variety of game at the Education Foundation of Gilchrist County’s 16th Annual Wild Beast Feast on Friday night.

Tiffany Turner, secretary of the Education Foundation of Gilchrist County, said that as of Tuesday morning, $19,731 had been generated by this year’s Beast Feast.

“I know we will easily make the $20,000 mark, as we have money still coming in,” Turner said. “We are very close to last year’s profit, which is great considering the current economic conditions.”

All monies raised will be used for scholarships for graduating seniors at Bell High School and Trenton Middle High School.
Last year’s Wild Beast Feast generated just over $20,500 for the Education Foundation, which in-turn awarded 100 scholarships totaling $100,000 to area high school seniors. This year 130 high school seniors have made application for an Education Foundation scholarship.

Each year the Wild Beast Feast serves as the Education Foundation’s primary fundraiser, drawing a crowd of hungry supporters from throughout the tri-county area. The event would not be possible without the support of Suzy DeChamplain, owner of DeChamplain’s Heaven’s Gate Farm. A heart for local students and love for the community prompts DeChamplain to open her covered arena up to the masses each year.

Game cooks and volunteers from throughout the county work tirelessly for several days leading up to the Wild Beast Feast preparing a variety of game and fowl including gator tail, frog legs, quail, mountain goat, water buffalo, mountain oysters, pork, corn on the cob, swamp cabbage, authentic gumbo, beef, barbecue goat and a plethora of homemade desserts.