The coals were hot.  The oxen were roasting and the people were lined up to enjoy what the Mesopotamia Volunteer Fire Department's annual Ox Roast is all about; roast beef sandwiches.

"Basically all this event goes for our fire department.   It helps raise, to send people through training, buy turn out gear, new trucks if we need it.   It's a really good event we've had," said Jamie Loza with the Mesopotamia Volunteer Fire Department.

Volunteers began preparing for the 41st annual Ox Roast on Thursday afternoon.  The event officially got underway Friday morning at 10:00 AM.  Throughout the holiday weekend, the department expects to draw thousands of people and sell 5,800 pounds of roast beef.

"This crowd this year is pretty close to about what we had a couple of years ago.   It is a good crowd.   We have parking back by our fire department.   We can usually put about 250 to 300 cars and by 9:30 a.m. we had to shut the parking lot down because it was full," said Loza.

In addition to the popular roast beef sandwiches, people are able to enjoy live entertainment and shop the more than 160 vendors booths.

"I look forward to this every year.   I just like the energy, the people.   They are so friendly and we do well here.   We sell well," said antique vendor Marge Krisa of Darlington, Pennsylvania.

"We start at one end and go up and down.   We make sure we see everything that is here and of course we eat and we just make a day of it," said Larry Satterlee of West Farmington.

The Ox Roast runs through Sunday.  Activities begin each morning at 10:00 AM.