BREMERTON — Like a “three-ring circus,” McCloud’s annual Family Day was a success, according to owner Andy Graham.

For more than six years, McCloud’s Grillhouse has hosted the event — multiple times a year, back in the beginning — bringing the community together for pony rides, a bouncy house, a treasure hunt, cotton candy and more. This year, though, the real star of the event was the Seahawks Beast Bus.

Purchased by Stacy Dore, president of the East Bremerton Rotary, at a Boys & Girls Club auction (she had just retired from the club at the time, according to Graham) the Seahawks Beast Bus is a behemoth decked out in 12th Man paraphernalia, including attachable goal posts on the back.

“We had 575 people who went on the tour through the bus,” Graham said. “Unfortunately not everybody got to go because it got too crowded.”

Even still, Graham said the bus will be back again next year, because “They were so blown away by how many people showed up.”

Overall, Graham estimated 700-800 attended the event, and McCould’s raised more than $1,000 for the East Bremerton Rotary scholarships fund.

“I just thought this was a great cause,” Graham, a member of the Rotary, said. “We do a scholarship fund for nine or 10 graduating seniors. It’s a big deal. Kids are really excited to get some money. College is so expensive.”

But besides the scholarship program, Graham says he does it for the community.

“I think we all kind of forget about (the community),” Graham said. “That’s why I like Rotary: you give back to the community. It’s just something we can do.

“We’re a family restaurant, so it’s kind of fun to see all the families show up. It just is basically working off what we do normally, (only on) a bigger scale.”

Graham said they’ll do it again next year, Beast Bus and all, but “in the summer this time.”