"Waste not, want not" is a lifestyle taken for granted by certain inhabitants of Pennsylvania known affectionately as "old Dutchmen." They are the men who are likely to take the blade of their ever-handy pocket knives and dig a tiny, delectable morsel of meat from the cheek of a fish, so that nothing is wasted.

Larry Primeau, Pine Grove, one of the organizers of Schuylkill County's annual Taste of the Wild dinner, was approached "an "old Dutchman" after last year's event. Months before the event, Primeau had shot nine groundhogs in one day; not wanting to waste them, he'd researched recipes and turned the woodchuck meat into a sausage. Before he left, the Dutchman tapped him on the shoulder."For 55 years I've been shooting groundhogs and kicking them back into their holes," the man said. "That's the last time I'll do that."This year's Taste of the Wild Annual Dinner begins at 5 p.m., Sat. Feb. 27, at the Pine Grove Hook & Ladder Fire Co., Orchard Street, Pine Grove. It's held with the support of Schuylkill County Outdoors. Corey Brossman, Wyomissing, host of "Out There" with the Innerloc Allstars on the Sportsman's Channel, is a special guest.Dinner is a pot-luck buffet and includes live music, door prizes and raffles. Tickets are $15, or $10 with a pot-luck food donation. Admission is $5 for children under 15 years old.The event was first held in 2014. Another organizer, Bo Rogers, Minersville, and Primeau had connected on Facebook via the Schuylkill County Outdoors page. Rogers suggested a wild game dinner, and the first event was held at Newtown Fire Company, near Minersville."We sold 58 tickets, and had 85 people show up," Primeau said. "It's a very nice hall but we could see that we would need more room if we're going to grow."Groundhog sausage, with Mexican spices, had been a huge hit. "It was wiped out," Primeau said, but that selection had a lot of stiff competition. Primeau will be cooking his much-anticipated Rosemary Garlic Deer Roast. Other offerings may include other versions of venison, as well as shark, stingray, bear, turtle, pheasant, waterfowl and various game fish. Turtle salami, four rolls made from four 35-pound turtles, was popular last year, as well as butter-baked bass and even, raccoon meatballs."One of my favorite parts about the dinner is the people who come who have never tried any wild game, and who may not have ever hunted a day in their lives, and they get to sample a big variety," Primeau said. "Everybody who came to the Taste of the Wild thought it was fantastic."Organizers hope to use any profits made to make donations to youth outdoor organizations. They are also hoping to get more door prizes, so that every youngster who attends gets to go home with a gift.Seating is limited and although tickets are sold at the door, advance reservations are appreciated. For tickets call Larry Primeau 570-345-4166 or Bo Rogers 570-527-5235.