About $11,000 was raised by the Serra Club of North Central North Dakota at the Big Smoke event held in Minot as a benefit for seminarians and others in religious formation, according to a press release from Grace Fisher.

According to Michael Ruelle of Minot, president of the club, the money is being distributed to four religious entities. The largest sum, $8,700, will go to the seminarians of the Bismarck Catholic Diocese. Other recipients, each to receive $700, are the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Priory in Bismarck, the Discalced Carmelite Nuns at Hague, and the brothers at Assumption Abbey in Richardton.

Held July 9 on the grounds of St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in Minot, the Big Smoke featured eight teams smoking brisket in competition with one another. About 425 people attended the event. Plans are in the early stages for a third Big Smoke in 2019.