Scottville chicken barbecue may be canceled this year, partially due to vandalism.

By Rob Alway. Editor-in-Chief.

SCOTTVILLE — A longtime Scottville tradition may come to end due to lack of business and due to an alleged vandal. The Scottville chicken barbecue, held at the Western Michigan Old Engine Club grounds at Riverside Park, has been part of the town’s summers for many decades. It began as a fundraiser for Scottville Riverside Park and has evolved to be an event during Scottville Summerfest.

For the past several years, the event has barely made enough money to cover its expenses. Plus, sometime last weekend, someone ran into the city’s barbecue pit that is located on the east side of the Scottville Optimist Center. That pit is used to cook the chicken.

City Manager Amy Williams said Scottville Police Department is considering the incident as vandalism since no one has come forward to say that it was an accident.

“It’s pretty clear that someone ran into it with a vehicle,” Williams said. “The impact was on the south side. If it were a parking accident, it wouldn’t have happened on that side.”

Williams told the Main Street board at its monthly meeting Thursday morning that she has spoken to some of the volunteers who help with the event (Williams also volunteers for the event and has served as chair several times over the last 17 years) and they are considering options. She said one option may be to rent barbecue equipment. However, that would likely mean the event takes a loss.

“It pains me to say that maybe we should consider canceling the event this year,” Williams said. “The chicken barbecue is a wonderful community event but there are a lot of other events going on that weekend in the county that seem to compete against it.”

The Main Street board did not make a final decision on the event, however.

If anyone has information about the damage to the barbecue pit, they should contact Mason-Oceana 911.