First BBQ Contest of the Season

Jon and I made it out to Cedar Creek's Fourth Annual Smoke-Out last night.

Despite the cold and light rain, there was a party going on in Cedar Creek's park, with a live band, 25 competition barbeque teams, and plenty of mud! The number of teams in attendance bodes well for this BBQ season, and I went around and handed out copies of the Drippings newspaper. GOBS Past President Sonny Ashford had obviously been there earlier in the day, as several people had received copies already.

I enjoyed seeing some familiar faces -- Leonard and Julie Hawkins of Baby Back BBQ, the Smokin' South Omaha Boys (Dave Earnest), Rogue Q Smokers of the Serengeti (John Schneider), and The Smokin' Heads (Ryan Headley) -- as well as meeting some teams I hadn't heard of yet ... Rollin' in the Rub (Greg Ryan), Blue Yummy Smokers (Rick Dolphens -- who tells me the name references a liking of Bud Light), Curbie's Brew & BBQ (Rick Curbie, a Shriner clown), and The Mandelbaugh's (Mike Spence, formerly of the Smokin' Elvises. The team name references the Seinfeld character Izzy Mandelbaum, although online it's spelled differently.)

We'll post the results on the GOBS Blog as soon as we receive them from the Cedar Creek folks. I also worked on recruiting a couple of more teams to participate in the O! BBQ! contest next Saturday at Canfield's Plaza at 84th and Center in Omaha. Remember -- the deadline is Tuesday, May 6 to register!

I'll post pictures from last night as soon as I find out if any of them came out!

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.

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.