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DENTON – Denton Volunteer Fire Company’s 13th gun bash June 7, 2025, was the most successful in the company’s history.
DVFC President Todd Berneski, who called out winning numbers all day, said the company netted $42,000.
“Typically, we're in the $25,000 range,” Berneski said. “We were closer to $30,000 last year.” The main reason for the surge in profits is because the event was sold out for the third time since the year after the pandemic. A thousand tickets were sold comprising $50 tickets, which included food and drinks, and $35 tickets for non-attendees.
Rain the week before played a factor in the event’s success because local farmers weren’t able to work their fields and attended the Saturday event. Another was that gun bash tickets “are designed to completely pay for the event, and all the side raffles that go on during the day are profit,” he said.
“This was awesome. It's our biggest fundraiser,” Berneski said. “Fundraisers are tough. We could do chicken dinners or something like that, but the profit margin isn't there for it. So, we kind of bust our humps with this and try to make it super successful.”
A large team of volunteers in turquoise T-shirts sold 42 side raffles with a total of 10,000 tickets, and people lining up with $10 and $20 bills at the ready.
About 550 people attended the noon to 6 p.m. event, many staying for the duration. Each $50 ticket paid for food and drinks, including adult beverages.
“Every year it gets bigger and bigger; and people look forward to it,” he said. “I think overall everybody was happy, especially the people that won. Not me. I can't seem to ever win.”
Tuckahoe Sportsman in Hillsboro provided the guns at a “hefty discount,” he said. Cash prizes also were awarded throughout the day.
Planning for the day is on “cruise control” at this point, Berneski said. It takes six months to plan for the crowd that filled both the fire hall and engine bays. About 60 volunteers cooked, served drinks, cleaned up and sold raffle tickets.
“The guys and gals that were cooking started buying food a couple weeks before the event, and then (were) prepping the meats and everything else the night before the event,” Berneski said. “I think they lit the grills this year at 3 a.m., so it's a long day. Over 1,000 pounds of meat, including chicken leg quarters, pulled pork and roast beef, were cooked.
Berneski said it’s important to provide good food for “people coming and graciously giving us their donations, if you will, throughout the day, and I think the food has a lot to do with it. … We think that if we put a higher quality product out there, that people will keep coming back, and it seems to be working.”
“On behalf of the officers and members of the Denton Volunteer Fire Company, we appreciate the continued support, and look forward to seeing everybody next year,” he said.
The event is typically set for the first Saturday in June.
