BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — The “Almost Heaven Barbecue Bash” will be the first ever Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned competition in the state’s history this weekend.
A total of 41 professional barbecue teams from ten different states will participate in the cook-off.
There will be vendors offering barbecue on Friday, but the competition begins on Saturday.
“Folks are welcome to come down and stroll around once they get set up,” said Jody Light, an organizer with the competition. “They’re very outgoing folks.
These BBQ teams are competing all year in competitions for points. What makes this competition different from others that may have taken place in the state before is the meaning for the teams, an official event on their BBQ cooking tour.
“The big thing about the West Virginia event is that we are the only one that is sanctioned–the only one that has a proclamation to be the state champion in West Virginia,” said Light.
The winning team this weekend earns $2500 and an automatic invitation to the Jack Daniels Invitational in Lynchburg, Tennessee. That is considered the premier event for BBQ cooks.
“If you talk to the barbecue cooks, they’ll tell you that that is the World Series of barbecue,” said Light.
There will also be a People’s Choice competition including 25 competitors Saturday morning.
Other activities to help celebrate West Virginia Day on Saturday will include a scavenger hunt, corn hole tournament, a corn eating competition and a wing eating competition.
“Just a lot of things all day downtown and the list goes on,” said Light. “Lots of things for the whole family.”