CHAMBER BBQ FEST ATTRACTS 2,000 PEOPLE TO SAMPLE FARE

Mary Spell ranked the appearance and aroma of every piece of meat before tasting any of the offerings placed in front of her Saturday afternoon. She isn't always a tough food critic, but this year Spell was one of 31 judges selected to sample the hamburgers, kabobs, ribs, Boston butt, beef brisket and pork steaks at the Cape Girardeau Chamber BBQ Fest held at Arena Park.

"I wouldn't mind doing this every year," she said. "I like to eat."

While Spell was tasting new cuts of meat inside the A.C. Brase Arena, Mike Schmidt was coordinating the next round of meat presentations for his team, the River Eagle Pork Busters, in the park. Schmidt's team was among 26 other entrants vying for the grand champion trophy, $200 cash and bragging rights.

Pork Buster team members, decked in blue T-shirts and red aprons, carefully lined their serving plates with lettuce before choosing the best selections of meat to grace the plate. First hamburgers, then kabobs, ribs, pork steaks, Boston butt and finally beef brisket were served to the judges in 30-minute intervals. The 14 team members also monitored temperature and appearance before letting runners cart off their entries to the judges.

"We expect to take several trophies home," said Schmidt, a three-year veteran of the competition. His team already had won the Showmanship award given Friday evening.

Teams arrived Friday afternoon for meat inspection and practice. A Kiddie Tractor Pull, water balloon toss and watermelon-eating contests also were held. About 2,000 people attended Friday's festivities.

A coordinator of the event, Tom Schulte, said the BBQ Fest has grown every year since it began.

"This event was designed to promote the business-ag relationship," he said. "We're super pleased with the turnout and the kids' games. Every year we get bigger and better."

Point totals for each of the categories were close for the winners, Schulte said. But walking home with the grand champion trophy presented by U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson Saturday afternoon was the team from Cape Electric Supply, just three-tenths of a point ahead of the nearest competitor.