(Arnolds Park)—Barbecue aficionados will be flocking to Preservation Plaza at Arnolds Park tomorrow (Fri.) and Saturday as Okoboji Tourism will once be putting on its “Smoke On The Water” barbecue competition. Stacey Rosemore of Okoboji Tourism says for the first time this year, there will be things going on tomorrow (Fri.) evening…including some live entertainment…(click here for comment.) “We’ve got G.D. Layton coming from Minneapolis. He’ll be performing under the Preservation Plaza tent. We’re going to be doing some craft beer tasting; a couple of the competitors are going to be selling barbecue as well. They’ve got some great items they’re going to be selling, so come on out and kind of get a taste of what these guys work so hard on and taste some craft beers and enjoy some wonderful entertainment as well.”
Barbecue masters from throughout the region will be competing for up to $7,000 in prize money during the competition itself which runs from 12 Noon until 2:00 p.m. Saturday…(click here for comment.) “We do run this competition very similar to the Kansas City Barbecue Society’s rules and regulations. So you’ll kind of get to see all the action and for anybody who ever watches those shows like Pit Masters on television you see how serious these guys get when they’re preparing what meat is going to be judged. But where the public really gets involved, and this is where we need everybody to come out, is starting at 2:00 we have a public tasting. For $5.00 we’ll give you five tickets. You can walk around to our 20 venders. They are all being provided pork loin courtesy of the Okoboji Tourism Office, and they’ll be preparing it as they wish and you can walk around and taste, then you get to vote on who your favorite competitor is. That’s kind of a fun part of it for the public and it’s also kind of fun for the competitors too, as they can let loose and get creative.”
Tickets will be available Saturday at the event.
