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FESTIVAL IS A SMOKIN’ SUCCESS IN PINE BLUFF
By Bobbie Harville/SPECIAL TO THE COMMERCIAL
Saturday, May 10, 2008 12:14 AM CDT
There’s something magical about an event that brings together competitive cooks, highly-trained judges, good food and fun for the whole family. The annual Smoke on the Water Festival, which continues today at Hestand Stadium in Pine Bluff, features barbecue cook-offs, a carnival, music and vendors.
“I loved the rides,” said Traci Jones of Pine Bluff, who came out to the event with her 3-year-old daughter Zariya on Friday. The duo shared pink cotton candy and expected to return today to enjoy some of the other delectable offerings. There’s plenty to choose from including barbecue, corn dogs, bratwurst, fresh fruit cups and funnel cakes.
Pine Bluff resident Tim Grady and a friend also came out to the festival Friday. Taking a break from munching on a powder sugar-dusted funnel cake, Grady said.
“I’m having a nice time. It’s a lot of fun for the kids and the food’s good,” he said.
Wade Hinkley of White Hall brought his wife Dawn and their kids Mya and Daniel. They strolled around the arena checking out the various vendors and waited for the live music to get under way.
“It’s something we’ve been looking forward to,” Hinkley said of the festival. “It’s a very relaxing atmosphere.”
For Debra Paul, it was a chance to spend time with one of her daughter, Niysha. They bought corn dogs and fresh-squeezed lemonade and planned to get on some carnival rides later.
“We need more of this,” Paul said. “This is a great event and we need to come out and support this. It’s something for the whole family.”
The Smoke on the Water barbecue contest officially gets under way today and will feature more than 60 teams from across the United States. The teams will compete for $50,000 in total prize money. The four categories are: ribs, pork, brisket and chicken.
On Friday night, tantalizing aromas filled the air as teams fired up their grills for the competition. The Skin and Bones BBQ Team from Arcadia, Fla., was among those who planned to compete.
“Everybody’s cooking tonight (Friday) so these guys won’t get any sleep,” said Lionel Cunningham of the Skin and Bones team. He said he and his team members compete in contests across the country and brought along numerous trophies to prove just how good they are.
For Troy Black, of the Southern Living BBQ on Tour, grilling is a profession.
“I do this 42 weekends a year,” said the Birmingham, Alabama-based barbecue chef.
Local competitors like Harvey Jacks and John Houge say they do it for the fun of it and camaraderie.
“We have fun, we’re with our friends and our family, and we enjoy cooking the meat,” said Houge, who serves as the chief cook of the Meat Masters team of Pine Bluff.
Jacks, also a member of the Meat Masters, proudly showed off a whole hog that had been prepared for the event.
“Many people have never seen a whole hog cooked and we wanted to do something different,” he said.
Leslie Holder of Shreveport estimated that she’s been judging barbecue contests for about seven years. And it’s pretty serious business.
“You have to go to judging school,” she said, explaining that she’s a certified trained Kansas City Barbecue Society judge. “You learn what to expect with each category of meat, how it should look, feel and taste.”
For those amateurs who’d like to judge for themselves, consider checking out the Smoke on the Water Festival before it wraps up tonight. Highlights today include:
Noon to 2 p.m. — People’s Choice Chicken Wing Contest.
Noon to 9 p.m. — Wal-Mart Outdoor Expo.
Noon to 11 p.m. — Carnival.
12:30 to 4 p.m. — Barbecue teams compete.
12:30 to 4:30 p.m. — Cummins Prison Band.
5 p.m. — $50,000 awards ceremony.
6 to 8 p.m. — Brian Atlas Band.
8:30 to 11 p.m. — Adam Ant Farm.
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