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EDWARDSVILLE - City Park in Edwardsville was filled with food and fun over the weekend with the Second Annual Roots & BBQ Festival presented by The Goshen Butcher Shop and St. Louis BBQ Society.
The festival offered two eventful days with live music, cornhole competitions, kids activities, booths to explore, and of course, BBQ. Along with the BBQ available for purchase, a huge BBQ competition took place during the festival. Both backyard and pro division BBQ makers competed for the title of best BBQ with winners receiving cash prizes.
“We’re just excited to be here competing. It’s a fun thing and it's nice to meet other people who compete with their BBQ as well. It's a nice prize but regardless we’re just here to have a good time and cook some BBQ,” said James Deloney, who was completing in the competition.
Proceeds of the event will be donated to many different local organizations as a way to give back to the community by hosting an event solely for the community to enjoy and benefit from. The festival offered fun for the whole family, with bounce houses, face painting and other activities for kids. Parents got to enjoy the many musical acts over the weekend that included the Scott Marlin Band, Little Chubby featuring Tom Breihan, the Skylark Brothers, Mondin Band, and Poor Dirty Astronauts. Booths were set up with a few businesses offering information and arts and craft vendors. On Sunday, the Cardinals' baseball game was played on a jumbotron at City Park during the festival, drawing a crowd to watch.
The BBQ competition was judged by local BBQ professionals. BBQ categories included ribs, chicken, pork, and brisket. Prizes being given out for grand champion, reserve grand champion, and awards for top ten in each of the categories. An optional bloody mary contest was also held on Sunday, offering an additional chance at a win for those competing.
For more information on The Goshen Butcher Shop check out their website https://goshenbutchershop.com/ And to learn more about BBQ competitions and how to compete in future years check out the St. Louis BBQ Society website https://stlouisbbqsociety.com/
