The Business and Professional Association of Western Delaware County doubled as the Buddies and Pals Association on Wednesday, Aug. 19.

In top photo from left, Trish Pagano Pagano Funeral Home , Sharon Westwood, Garnet Ford, and Sofia Clinger, Countryside Coiffures, pose for a group picture, offering a rare glimpse of Clinger, who is usually behind the camera.

Don and Deb Culp of Delco Alarm and Jim Murphy of Tri County Pest Control hosted the association's annual Barbecue and Bonfire in Aston, an optimal opportunity for socializing and networking.

The event aims to bring out longtime members and welcome new and prospective ones.  BPA meetings, which typically feature a speaker, are held throughout the year on the third Wednesday of the month, often at Brandywine Prime in Chadds Ford.  For the August barbecue, there is no formal program; members just take time to enjoy a summer evening.

Spouses and friends often attend the event since it is held in the evening, offering extra camaraderie. Many members' connections go back years, if not decades. Jim McKinley of McKinley Blacksmith and Larry Ferriola of  Concord Autobody have known each other since they attended Garnet Valley High School together.

Members bring picnic specialties to complement the catering done by the Meat House and Chef Anthony. A very fast shutter speed would have been needed to photograph the deviled eggs brought by Anne Eunson from Eunson Dental and Deborah Love of Crozer Keystone Health Systems:  The eggs disappeared almost immediately.

On a perfect summer evening, the bonfire set a friendly camp-like mood to accent the great food.  There was no shortage of fuel for the fire since both Culp and Murphy  lost many trees in the summer storms.

Ann Ferrara of Paychex served as bartender and supplied guests with beer, wine, and the house specialty, margaritas. Music was provided by Sean McGraw.

Fulfilling its mission, the barbecue attracted several new members and generated a good time for all of the attendees. Donna Reeves from BHCU and Rodger Carmanaca from Marathon Capital Advisors joined that evening with several more intending to follow up with membership

For more information about BPA of Western Delaware County, visit  http://bpaofwesterndelco.com/

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