Competitors are coming from near and (very) far to Iola’s Riverside Park this weekend for some “Smokin’ Hot Cars and BBQ.”
The draw?
The annual Tom Brigham Memorial BBQ Cookoff, part of the Rotary Day in the Park festivities.
Twenty-seven teams, from as far away as Florida, Wyoming — even Canada — are in town for the fun.
The first competitors started setting up shop Thursday evening for a relaxing night of socializing with their fellow competitors.
By Friday evening, the rest of the crews were set to be in town for the meat prep.
Grills and smokers will be fired up in the pre-dawn hours Saturday, putting their own personal touches on their chicken, ribs, pork and brisket entries.
Timing is critical.
Chicken must be done to perfection at the stroke of noon Saturday, followed 30 minutes later by the ribs. Pork judging starts at 1 o’clock, and brisket rounds up the competition at 1:30 p.m.
As has become the norm this month, competitors have had to deal with stormy weather.
“It seems like we’ve hit storms every day,” said Jenna Arnold, who rolled into town with husband Mike Thursday after competing last weekend in Osage City.
The Arnolds hail from Saskatchewan, Canada, the first-ever Canadian competitors in the annual Iola-based cookoff.
They were reuniting with friends and fellow competitors Levi and Jessica Stoakes of Wyoming and Florida natives Michael and Nun Brewster.
“We’ve known each other quite a while,” noted Mike Arnold.
And while they’re all vying for a lucrative grand prize — $7,000 in cash payouts this weekend — the winnings pale in comparison to the friendships, Jenna Arnold said.
“We’re all friends, all the time,” she said.
The Arnolds traveled 18 hours to get to Osage City last weekend, and another two to bring their setup down to Iola.
How long they’ll remain in the Midwest remains to be seen.
