What makes the Exchange Club’s annual barbecue fundraiser so popular?

The secret, says longtime member Howard Tinsley, is in the sauce.

“I can’t tell you what’s in it, but people love our sauce,” said Tinsley. “We put our secret sauce on all the beef.”

From lunchtime until dinner, volunteers with the Exchange Club sold barbecue by the plate or pound at Shug Jordan Stadium.

A steady stream of cars and trucks drove up to the stadium throughout the day to pickup the famous beef.

The drivers didn’t have to wait long. By the time the vehicles had slowed down, there was an Exchange club member standing ready to take their orders.

Volunteers got quite a workout going back and forth between the food table and the vehicles throughout the long afternoon.

“The turn-out has been tremendous,” said Exchange Club member Gene Hisel.

Exchange Club members and other volunteers cooked about 2,000 pounds of beef for their annual fundraiser.

“We started preparing at noon yesterday and cooked all night,” Tinsley said. “About 20 students from the Southside High JAG did their community service for our club by helping us pack and prepare the plates.”

Selling the barbecue is one of the largest fundraising efforts for Selma’s 30-member Exchange Club, according to Tinsley.

All of the proceeds from the barbecue sale go towards the Exchange Club’s projects, which include child abuse prevention, distributing American flags to schools and other Americanism programs.

Tinsley said the local community has always been a big supporter of the Exchange Club’s fundraising efforts, especially during the barbecue sales.

“They know they’re getting the best bargain and the best service in town,” Tinsley said.