HILLSDALE, N.J.—Fans of barbecue and our nation’s military veterans—and, let’s face it, moonshine—descended on the Pascack Valley for a day of deliciousness at Demarest Farms, Saturday, May 4.
Six hundred strong, this small army (or large family) was a pitmasters’ barbecue fundraiser supreme.
With roots in a Facebook group called Scotty Macs Sippy Poo—founded last year by Hillsdale’s Scott McDowell, who owns Innovative Landscapes in Woodcliff Lake—the meetup was a passion project for veterans aid.
According to McDowell, this first annual shindig collected more than $13,000, with the funds to be divvied up among the Cpl. Jedh C. Barker Memorial American Legion Post 153, the Paramus Veterans Memorial Home, and Fisher House Foundation, best known for a network of comfort homes where military and veterans’ families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment.
In addition to the Pascack Valley and wider Bergen County, members came from as far as Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Florida, and Chicago and San Francisco, and filled local hotel rooms.
The event, in honor of Gerald J. “Jerry” Lubrano of Woodcliff Lake, who died Feb. 2 after a brief illness, included live music and tastings of the best BBQ ribs, chicken wings, brisket, pulled pork, and sides.
Admission was $20 per adult, $15 per child under 12.
An after-party convened at Davey’s Irish Pub in Montvale.
“I’ve never cooked for 600 people before in my life. It was a labor of love, I’m gonna tell you that right now,” McDowell told Pascack Press a couple days later.
“We had to run a smoker in my driveway for three days, out there every hour, in the nighttime and the rain—you can imagine what that was like. But it was all worth it,” he said.
To the group’s members, nearly 2,000 strong and growing, he posted, “To say I’m blessed to have all of you there is an understatement. The Sippy Poo family is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. All of you make it what it is. Thank you for taking this journey with me.”
The group’s name, incidentally, refers to McDowell’s reputation as “the sippy-poo guy” after he posted a video of himself raising a mason jar in a toast, saying, “Cheers, everybody! Have a little sippy poo!”
McDowell also has raised thousands of dollars for veterans through T-shirt sales on the convivial theme.
He describes the community he’s created as “a place for you to talk about BBQ, drink some moonshine, if you’re having a bad day, come and talk about it. No bullies, no politics, none of that.”
He says he’s gotten messages from members internationally who have thanked him for creating a place for them.
And, he adds, he occasionally receives off-hour texts or Facebook messages seeking an understanding ear—these are cries for help—which he’s honored to field.
“If I can hug every veteran and save every one I would. Every damn one of them,” he told Pascack Press.
McDowell, a father of two, is not a veteran. He said he “did a stint” in boot camp in the U.S. Navy in the early 1980s and demonstrated early on that “I was a pain in the ass.” And that was that.
His father, however, served in the U.S. Coast Guard.
He said his Facebook group was eager to meet. He described the Demarest Farms event, hosted by owners Jason DeGise and James Spollen, as “a sea of people dancing and having fun.”
He added, “We’ve got to do this again. I hope to double it next year. I’d love to.”
He thanked sponsors A Macchione Brothers Inc., Joseph Macchione Jr. of Roman Asphalt Corp., Paul Cuomo of PC Global, and Steve Rich Environmental Contractors.
Looking ahead, he says, “I just feel like America forgot about them [veterans]. For what I can do, it just means the world. I’ve got members on my page that are dying of cancer but they’re just so happy. It’s a crazy, crazy, crazy family that I’ve created. It’s insane.”
He says, “For all that’s bad in the world I’m just trying to do some good.”
For his part, DeGise told Pascack Press on May 9 that it was obvious the meetup should happen at Demarest Farm, and invited McDowell to put the word out.
DeGise and McDowell have been friends for more than 25 years.
“Once a year, twice a year, whatever, we’re happy to host it for you,” he recalled he said. “We’re used to handling crowds.”
DeGise said his father and stepfather both served in Vietnam—his dad, Joe, was in the Army, and his stepdad, Pat Shovlin, is a Purple Heart Marine—and that he shares McDowell’s concerns.
“I just don’t think we do the right thing in this country sometimes. We don’t do enough, or we do too much of something else,” he said.
He added, “I love what Scotty is doing. It’s all about reaching out. It’s a public forum. At 2 a.m. you can put a post on the page and someone’s going to respond and reach out.”
Find Scotty Macs Sippy Poo & BBQ on Facebook.
