July 14, 2026 – West Bend, WI. – After decades of serving thousands of steak dinners while raising money for community causes, the West Bend Noon Kiwanis has found a new organization willing to carry on one of the longest-running fundraising traditions.
The annual Steak in the Park event is expected to continue this September under the direction of the West Bend Baseball Association (WBBA), with longtime supporters Jeff Szukalski of Jeff’s Spirits and Jeff Kern from Jumbo’s helping make the transition.
For Sandy Lang, the decision to hand over the event wasn’t easy.
“We basically have five people,” Lang said. “Tom Bergerud, Al Pauly, John Shakura, Sue Garman and me. We were doing the brunt of everything and we just can’t do it anymore.”
The club reached the difficult decision after last year’s event.
“When we got done last year and everybody was just about dead, we decided that we couldn’t keep going,” Lang said. “But then we thought maybe we can partner, that someone else can take it over. We hated to see it go.”
Lang said the Noon Kiwanis had even begun discussing selling equipment before an unexpected conversation opened the door to keeping the tradition alive.
“Sue Garman was in by Jeff and he said, ‘I’m just so frustrated with all these good community events all going by the wayside. I wonder if there’s something we could do to pick it up.’ Then the next thing we knew Sue and I were in a meeting with Jeff and Willie Mueller and it sounded like they were going to move forward with it.”
In order to transition the event, the Kiwanis pledged to help during the first year.
“We told them we would help get them up and running,” Lang said.
The annual steak fry dates back nearly half a century.
Lang said dwindling volunteer numbers have become a challenge for many civic organizations.
“All the organizations putting these events on… they’re all struggling,” she said, noting that many longtime community festivals have disappeared over the years including Seafood Fest, RiverFest, and JazzFest.
For the WBBA, taking over the event offers an opportunity to preserve a beloved tradition while helping support youth baseball.
“Sandy Lang approached us,” said WBBA president Willie Mueller. “She said, ‘Hey Willie, it’d be a good thing for you guys.’ They said, ‘We’ve got all the equipment. We’re just too old. Nobody wants to run it anymore.'”
Rather than duplicate the traditional sit-down steak dinner, Mueller said organizers are planning a slightly different menu that should be easier to prepare and serve.
“We’re going to try to do a steak sandwich,” Mueller said. “Everybody for baseball, a steak sandwich is excellent.”
The meal is expected to feature an 8-ounce ribeye steak sandwich on a bun, along with French fries or onion rings, sweet corn and ice cream. Beer will also be available for purchase.
Mueller credited Jeff Kern from Jumbo’s Frozen Custard with helping supply the buns and other food items, while Jeff Szukalski of Jeff’s Spirits has been instrumental in organizing the effort. Mueller said community sponsorships will be key to making the event successful.
The Baseball Association plans to continue holding the event at Regner Park, using the park pavilions much like the Kiwanis has done for years.
A tentative Tuesday date in mid-to-late September is being discussed while organizers finalize details.
Mueller said the goal extends beyond raising money. “We’re just going to keep it going,” he said.
This is a working story and more information will be posted when details are available.
