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Barbeque festival kicks off Friday in Williams

The Cued Up barbeque team toils over the grills during last year’s Northern Arizona Barbeque Festival. Photo/WGCN

The Cued Up barbeque team toils over the grills during last year’s Northern Arizona Barbeque Festival. Photo/WGCN

WILLIAMS, Ariz. - Barbeques are a summer tradition. And on June 13 and 14, the Williams Visitor Center parking lot will turn into one massive barbeque when more than 30 teams compete in the fifth annual Northern Arizona Barbeque Festival.

The Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) sanctions the event, with about $10,000 up for grabs in cash prizes. Teams from Arizona, Nevada, Utah and California will compete in chicken, pork, ribs, brisket and dessert categories.

The winner of the Northern Arizona Barbeque Festival will be invited to compete in the American Royal World Series of Barbeque in Kansas City in October, said Williams-Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce Events Coordinator Darlene Bitter.

"You're talking about your die-hard barbeque guys out doing these competitions," she said. "They do it every weekend. They'll pack up and go to the next competition when they're done with us. So it's really fun to see and to talk to the guys too. They're very nice people."

Entrance is free to the event, which besides the barbeque will also feature beer and wine, food concessions and live music.

Taste tests of the barbeque from each team will be available both days for $2 apiece. After doing some sampling, attendees can vote for their favorite barbeque team for the People's Choice Award.

The Northern Arizona Barbeque Festival kicks off on Friday from 6 to 10 p.m. The first day is when competitors show up and start cooking.

"They will spend all night smoking some of their meats. A lot of these guys are doing several different categories," Bitter said. "Some of those meats they smoke for seven to sometimes 10 hours. So these guys are having to keep the fire stoked all night long, so they kind of take shifts to keep the fire going."

Pure Prophet will provide classic rock music on Friday from 7 to 10 p.m.

The event continues on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Muskellunge bluegrass band will play from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. The awards will be presented at 4 p.m.

Beer and wine from the Grand Canyon Brewing Company, the Grand Canyon Winery and the Historic Brewing Company will be for sale both days.

Bitter encouraged the community to come out and enjoy the festival.

"Who doesn't like barbeque?" Bitter said. "It's the beginning of summer. It's going to be fun. It's just a great way to get together and have some barbeque."

More information is available from the Chamber at (928) 635-0273.


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