Meat & Music @ The 3rd Annual Blues & BBQ Festival
Stephanie Webster
Westport’s annual Blues, Views & BBQ Festival will take place on September 24th, 25th and 26th. This event celebrates food, music and family with an exciting line-up of bands, barbecue and cooking events, as well as fun for the whole family.
This year’s fest, sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society, the country’s premier barbecue organization, features the amateur backyard Cookin’ For A Cause competition, in which teams of two to four participants compete in categories of chicken, ribs, and “chef’s choice.” At the same time, certified pit-masters will be grilling, smoking and barbecuing in the Pro Invitational competition. Both contests are followed by a Pro-Am Invitational “Throwdown” competition where amateur teams compete against the pros. The Pro-Am Invitational includes an “Iron Chef”-style twist where competitors must use three mystery ingredients. Our own contributor, Sarah Green will be there to help judge the Iron Chef event.
Rick Browne, host of Barbecue America will demonstrate master griller recipes and participate in the festival’s pro-am barbecue Iron Chef-style “throw-down” contest.
Kids also will have an opportunity to compete in a separate Kids Q barbecue competition. All proceeds from the competitions will be donated to Westport’s Emergency Food Distribution Program, also known as the Food Closet, founded by the Westport Woman’s Club.
“This year, we ‘ve really opened up the fest to include anything that is smoked, grilled, wood, fired, slow-cooked, and of course, barbecued,” said Bob LeRose, founder of the Blues, Views & BBQ Fest. “We’re promoting barbecue and outdoor cooking styles to people of all ages who love to cook.”
Food vendors include: Bobby Q's, Skinny Pines Wood Fired Pizza, Winnie's Jerk Chicken & Fsh, Dave & Jerry's Hot Dog Trolly, Roasted sweet corn, Rita's Water Ice, Michele's Pies, Yumnuts Roasted Cashews, Rolling Cones Ice Cream Truck, Old Fashioned Kettle Popcorn, Whole Foods Market Gourmet Burger Bar. Handcrafted beer, premium liquor and wine will also be for sale.
Tickets to the festival, which start at $10 per day on Saturday and Sunday, and $45 for the Friday night concert, can be purchased online at www.levittpavilion.com while detailed information is available at www.bluesviewsbbq.com. The festival will be held rain or shine.
Reader Comments (1)
Added attractions are free next door at the Westport Library. Sat. at 10 am meet Barbecue America host and author, Rick Browne (honorary PhB, doctor of barbecue philosophy); Sat. at 2 pm watch The Blues Brothers; Sunday at 2 pm meet Mary Lou Sullivan, biographer of guitarist and bluesman, Johnny Winter, in her book, Raisin' Cain.