LETTERS: BBQ FEST GREAT SUCCESS

Dear Editor:

The Fourth Annual Cape BBQ Fest was held this past weekend. Twenty-five teams from Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois competed at Arena Park. An estimated 6,000 people attended the activities.

This was made possible by the fine merchants and people of this community. Sponsors for the Cape BBQ Fest were the Missouri Beef Industry Council, Horizon Screen Printing, LDD, Inc., Biokyowa, Inc., Bluff City Beer Co., Midwest Agri-Chemico, Inc., Pepsi Cola Bottling Company, River Eagle Distributing Company, Schnucks, SuperValu, Union Planters Bank, Ameritech Cellular Services, Cape County Pork Producers, Heartland Telephone Services, Kohlfeld Distributing, Inc., S & S Livestock Supply, Scott County Pork Producers, Southeast Missouri Builders Supply, Baker Implement Company, Farm Credit, Hendrix, Schwab, Garner, Schermann & Co., P.C., Heuer Sons Implement Company, Lowe's, Mercantile Bank, South East Missouri Bank, Strack Equipment, Inc., The First National Bank, The Medicine Shoppe, SEMO Cattlemen's Association, and the Coca Cola Bottling Company.

In addition, we had fabulous help and sponsorship from the area's media. A big thanks to KZIM/K103 Radio, the Southeast Missourian, KBSI-TV Fox 23, KFVS-TV 12, KGMO Radio, and CD Country.

Merchants who donated prizes for the contests were Bangert Ford Tractor, Camelot Music, Inc., Cedar Street (Drury Lodge), Cracker Barrel, Disc Jockey, Erb Industrial Equipment Co., Fun Flicks, Hardees, Hastings Book, Music & Video, Heavenly Ham, Heuer Sons Implement Company, Jackson COOP, Kid's World, MFA in Jackson, Missouri Beef Industry Council, Mmeco Bistate, Plants Plus, Sappington Auto Parts, Shoney's Restaurant, Southeast Missouri State University Department of Agriculture, Strack Equipment Co., Sunny Hill Gardens, and Tractor Supply Co. Schnucks donated raffle prizes.

The committee organizing the Cape BBQ Fest began meeting in November of 1995. Committee members are Chuck Jackson, Leta Bahn, Wendall Mueller, Charlie Knote, Don Beckham, Kevin Gerlach, R.J. McKinney, Shirlene Krewson, Viney Mosley, Russ Mothershead, Dr. Ed Snider, Dr. Bill Meyer, Rick Tolbert, Sue McEwan, Tony Varnon and Calvin Wells.

Very kind and helpful citizens of Cape volunteered their time as our judges. It is to them we owe the integrity of our judging system. They will tell you it wasn't easy to pick winners, but all the entries were great.

Special thanks to the 4-H Junior leaders who assisted with getting contest meat to the judges in a timely manner: James Aufdenberg, Eric Sievers, Adria Meyr, Andy Cook, Adam Meier, Denice Aufdenberg, Elmer Riesenbichler, and LaFern Schoen.

A very special thanks to Linda Minner, special projects director for the Cape Chamber, and her staff. If you've ever worked with these great people, you'll find that you had better "get going or get out of the way" because they can do anything better and faster than it has ever been done before.

Our grand champion this year was Ribs & Butts from Chaffee. Runners up in the Grand Champion category were First Missouri Terminals and Midwest Agri-Chemico, Inc., both of Cape.

If you missed the Cape BBQ Fest, you missed an opportunity to see how the best "do it," a great time and a lot of fun. Come join us next year!

'96 Cape BBQ Fest Co-Chairmen

Joe P. Rice

Tom Schulte

Bob Tucker