Upcoming Barbeque Contests

We are sending out a postcard to the competition teams we have on file (so watch your mailbox for the bright yellow GOBS postcard!) but here is a list of the upcoming BBQ contests in this area (as of 4/30/08):

May 2-3
Cedar Creek Fire Department Fourth Annual Smoke-Out
Cedar Creek, Nebraska
Contact Tiffany Peacock at 402-234-2901

May 9-10
BBQ in the Bluffs
Bayliss Park - Council Bluffs, Iowa
Contact Claudia Rodenburg at 712-328-4634

May 9-10
North Platte Honky Tonk BBQ Festival
North Platte, Nebraska
Contact Rob Mandeville at 308-532-3344

May 10
O! BBQ: How to Be a Better BBQer Mini Competition
Canfield Plaza, 84th & Center - Omaha, Nebraska
Contact Bridget Brooks at 402-393-4600
(Celebrity judges! Limited to 10 teams. No entry fee.)

May 16-17
Dundee Days BBQ Contest
50th & Underwood - Omaha, Nebraska
Contact Jeff Royal - 402-598-0873

June 6-7
Springfield Days BBQ Contest
Sarpy County Fairgrounds - Springfield, Nebraska
Contact Kelly Wills - 402-320-1708

June 13-14
Papillion Days BBQ Contest
Zupan Soccer Field Parking Lot - Papillion, Nebraska
Contact Louise Greco - 402-597-2043

June 19-20
Extreme BBQ'n Bull 2008
Lancaster Event Center - Lincoln, Nebraska
Contact Rick Hinman - 402-441-6545

June 27-28
Cortland Fest 125 Roasting Pig Competition
Cortland, Nebraska
Contact Rich Douglass - 402-499-6143

July 11-12
Eagle Days BBQ Contest
Eagle, NE
Contact Jim Peterson at 402-781-9669

July 18-19
Riverfest 2008: Red, White, & Que
Hayworth Park - Bellevue Nebraska
Contact Megan Lucas at 402-898-3000

Aug. 8-9
Fourth Annual Axtell SmokeEaters BBQ Contest
Axtell, Kansas
Contact Roy Buessing at 785-736-2766

Aug. 22-23
17th Annual State Barbeque Championship of Nebraska
LaPlatte, NE (Five miles south of Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, NE; off Hwy. 75)
Contact Sonny Ashford at 402-651-0149

Sept. 5-6
Little Blue BBQ
In conjunction with Fairbury Days - Fairbury, Nebraska
Contact Chad Lottman at 402-793-5820

Sept. 26-27
Ak-Sar-Ben's River City Roundup Barbeque Challenge
In conjunction with River City Roundup - Omaha, Nebraska
Contact Meghan Spence at 402-554-9600 x 104

We hope to see you at one or more of these events!
Compete. Judge. Enjoy.

Extreme BBQ'n Bull 2008 Update

The website is up for the Extreme BBQ'n Bull 2008 event, so if you are a competition cooking team looking for an event in Nebraska, this could be your thing! The event is June 19-21 at the Lancaster Event Center, 4100 North 84 Street in Lincoln and is sponsored by Fort Western and Anderson Ford.

Event organizer Rick Hinman says they've already signed up 20 teams (including a team from Indiana and one coming from Bainbridge, Georgia) and have room for up to 40 total teams. The basic entry fee is $150 (electrical service and booth upgrades are available for an extra fee).

"In year two, we hope to move up to 100 competitors," Hinman says. "We want to increase the prize money and are working hard to make (this first year) successful."

The BBQ contest is being held in conjunction with the Extreme Bullriding Tour. Hinman says they have justed signed Gary Leffew, the 1970 PRCA World Champion Bullrider, to host a bullriding school on June 18 and sign autographs on June 20 at the event.

Hinman is looking for judges for the event (KCBS certified judges preferred). Contact him at rhinman@lancastereventcenter.com if you are interested in judging.

You can find out more details by reading our earlier blog post about this contest.

BBQ In the Bluffs Set for May 9-10

BBQ in the Bluffs, a KCBS-sanctioned event, will be held on May 9-10, 2008 at Bayliss Park in downtown Council Bluffs, Iowa. The event will feature over $4600 in cash and prizes.

The event is the second annual "Celebrate CB State Championship," as proclaimed by the governor of Iowa. The entry fee is $200. Grand champion will take home $1500, and the reserve champion will win $750. Cash prizes will be awarded for fist through fifth place in the Chicken, Pork, Ribs, and Brisket categories.

As announced in today's Omaha World-Herald, Bayliss Park also has free wireless internet service!

Download an entry form or contact Claudia Rodenburg at 712-328-4634 for more information.

If you are interested in judging, download a judging entry form or contact Tiffany Schmitt at 712-325-5774 or e-mail tiffany.schmitt@nonpareilonline.com. Judges must be KCBS certified.

Former Austin's Will Be Newest Famous Dave's

The former Austin's Steakhouse restaurant at 12020 Anne Street (120th & L) will become Omaha's newest Famous Dave's, according to Cutchall Management Company, which operates the restaurant.

Cutchall currently manages five Famous Dave's restaurants in Omaha. CMC's restaurants also include Sonic Drive-Ins, Paradise Cafe & Bakery, BurgerStar, Progressive Park, and Tin Star (in Dallas).

Famous Dave's was named one of the top barbeque restaurants in the city in the "Best of Omaha" awards in 2008.

Cedar Creek Barbeque Contest - May 2-3

The Cedar Creek Fire Department is hosting its Fourth Annual Smoke Out on May 2-3, 2008 at the Cedar Creek Park in Cedar Creek, Nebraska. Categories include Ribs, Chicken, Pork, and Brisket. The grand champion will win $400 and the reserve champion will take home $150. First through fifth place will also receive prize money; sixth through tenth place will receive ribbons.

This is a non-sanctioned barbeque contest, judged by the Greater Omaha Barbeque Society. KCBS rules apply. The entry fee is $100 per team (plus an additional $25for electricity).

The Cedar Creek Fire Department is a non-profit organization and all proceeds will benefit the CCVFD for their equipment purchase fund.

Download an information form here. Registrations are still being accepted, but the cutoff is coming soon! Want more information? Call Tiffany Peacock at (402) 234-2901.

Want to join in the fun? The CCVFD Beer Garden runs from 5 p.m. to Midnight. The band "Scot Free" will perform from 8 p.m. until midnight.

Saturday morning, there is a pancake feed in the park pavilion. Judging begins at noon, and the awards event begins at 3 p.m. The CCVFD is encouraging teams to hand out samples to the public on Saturday after the cook-off.