PALO- Hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill say 4th of July as much as anything. But many flooded-out homeowners probably didn't have the time or means for a traditional holiday cookout.

Still, some volunteers hoped arranging lunch for an entire town would help some people feel a little better on the 4th.

Only a handful of homes escaped the water in the Linn County community of Palo. So for many residents, this holiday was just another clean up day. But Tim Niner, who operates Bo-Hunk BBQ in Blairstown, brought grills, relatives and friends to Palo to bring a little holiday cheer.

Niner got a variety of donors to pitch in enough food and supplies to feed at least 1,200 people. Beginning just before noon, he grilled up hot dogs and hamburgers and packaged lunches for residents and people working in town. Volunteers boxed up hundreds of meals and delivered them to homes where people were working.

"It's just a good thing to do for the town and the town's been good to us and our catering business--so we're trying to do something to give back," he said.

Some Palo residents said the town needed a reason to celebrate...and free lunch was probably as good a reason as any. Penny Galvin, Palo volunteer coordinator, said "we can't thank these guys enough they called right after the floods and said we'd like to do this."

Town leaders say many Palo residents would probably like a day off after weeks of flood cleanup. But the holiday weekend was a time to recruit friends and family and more of the damage hauled away.