5th Annual Rhode Island BBQ Championships at the South County Hot Air Balloon Festival, July 22-24

 

Winners of the 5^th Annual Rhode Island BBQ Championship will be decided on Sunday, July 24, providing a tasty finale to the 38^th Annual South County Hot Air Balloon Festival sponsored by the Rotary Club of Wakefield at the URI Athletic Fields in Kingston, RI from July 22 through 24.

               

This growing competition is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society and has been proclaimed by the Rhode Island Governor as the official state BBQ championship.  Now in its fifth year, the competition has annually attracted upwards of 40 teams from throughout the United States, as well as some from Canada and as far away as the United Kingdom. Many KCBS certified judges also travel to South County each year to enjoy this event.  At the awards ceremony scheduled for Sunday at 3:00 p.m., cash prizes, as well as trophies, will be presented to the top ten winners in each of four designated KCBS categories for chicken, pulled pork, ribs, and brisket. Participation in the Rhode Island competition counts as an “auto-qualifier” for “The Jack”, a national championship held at Jack Daniels Hollow in Lynchburg, Tenn., each October.

 

Saturday will feature “The Chili Cook Off” from 12-3 p.m. interested tasters can make a suggested $5 donation which will allow them to taste chili prepared by the teams and then vote for their favorite.

 

Although not part of the competition, five award winning BBQ vendors will be on the field selling BBQ to give visitors the chance to enjoy the varied tastes of BBQ selections during all three days of the Festival. Planning to provide their specialties are Skin ‘N Bones BBQ from Lake Placid, FL, Sin City BBQ from West New Field, ME, Squeels on Wheels BBQ from Ludlow, VT, Bugg’D Out BBQ from Woonsocket, RI, and Gotta Q BBQ from Cumberland, RI. For those who may not want BBQ, there will be plenty of other food vendors offering a variety of other choices.

               

From Friday, July 22 through Sunday, July 24, the 38^th Annual South County Hot Air Balloon Festival remains an iconic event in southern Rhode Island every summer. Colorful hot air and shaped balloons, musical performances, fireworks, carnival rides, food vendors, free train rides for the kids, arts & craft vendors, special performances by “The Canon Lady”, and much more make this a very popular family-oriented event every summer. 

Balloons are scheduled to inflate on Friday & Saturday evenings at dusk and Saturday & Sunday mornings at dawn, weather permitting. Tethered balloon rides will again be available for purchase. Festival hours are Friday, 4-9 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children 14 & under, and $25 for families. Parking is free and RV camping is available onsite. All proceeds from the Balloon Festival support the Rotary Club’s scholarship and charitable programs in the local communities. The schedule of events and other Festival details are available at www.southcountyballoonfest.com.

 

Registration forms for the BBQ competition teams and judges are available at the Festival website, www.southcountyballoonfest.com, or by contacting Rotarian and event organizer Bud Faria at budfaria@yahoo.com, or by calling 401-789-3902.

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