Smoke, Steaks and a Crowd: The Dalles Kiwanis Marks 70 Years With Annual Steak Feed

Sep 11

Written By Columbia Community Connection

By Joshuah Albert

The Dalles, Ore., Sept. 11, 2026 — Smoke from a long row of grills hung in the air Thursday evening as a surprisingly large crowd turned out for The Dalles Kiwanis Club’s 70th annual Steak Feed, continuing a community tradition that raises money for programs serving children throughout the Mid-Columbia.

By about 5 p.m., the smell of grilling beef filled the park as diners moved through serving lines toward a long, built-in grill crowded with sirloin steaks.

Despite the turnout, the lines moved quickly. Volunteers worked both sides of the grill, cooking steaks at seemingly every level of doneness while other volunteers kept potatoes, coleslaw, rolls, desserts and drinks moving down the serving line.

The scene was part cookout, part assembly line and part community reunion.

Kiwanis members were joined by volunteers of different ages, including young people helping serve meals as diners filled tables and gathered around the park.

The meal featured an 8-ounce sirloin steak, baked potato, coleslaw, roll, dessert, and a drink.

But the Steak Feed is about more than dinner.

Proceeds from the annual fundraiser support programs benefiting children in The Dalles and across the Mid-Columbia, including Key Club, which mentors high school students in leadership and community service; YES House; Books for Kids; and the Community Backpack Program, which provides food for school-age children facing food insecurity to take home for weekends.

Thursday's turnout showed that after 70 years, the formula remains remarkably straightforward: fire up the grills, cook a lot of steaks, and bring the community together to help local kids.