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Tickets are now available for an annual feast of oysters and barbecue at Ebenezer United Methodist Church in North Suffolk.

The 20th annual United Methodist Men’s Oyster and Barbecue Dinner will be held at 5 p.m. March 7 in the family life center at Ebenezer United Methodist Church in Eclipse, 1589 Steeple Drive. Tickets are required for this event and must be purchased in advance.

There will be North Carolina-style barbecue, oysters both fried and steamed and hot dogs for the children. The menu also includes coleslaw, hushpuppies, baked beans and rockfish stew. Beverages include lemonade and iced tea.

Patrons will also enjoy cakes, pies and more homemade desserts from the ladies of Ebenezer UMC. All of the non-dessert food is being prepared by members of the United Methodist Men at Ebenezer, according to according to Bob Patton, in charge of marketing and sales for the dinner.

The annual dinner first started as a small social gathering for the church but has since evolved into a community-wide fellowship opportunity. The church even gets visitors from Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Chesapeake, Patton wrote in an email Tuesday.

“The event started small as a church social and has grown into reaching a much larger audience,” Patton wrote. “We have loyal attendees who have it marked on their annual calendars in perpetuity.”

Proceeds from the event support the Western Tidewater Free Clinic, the Eclipse July 4th celebration, the Youth Mission Trip in the summer and other worthy causes, Patton wrote.

Adult tickets are $30 each. Youth tickets are $10 each for ages 13 to 17, and children ages 12 and younger will eat for free. Meals are dine-in and all-you-can-eat. No tickets will be sold at the door.

Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the church office at 238-2359, or emailing ebenezer@ebumc.net.