EDITOR’S NOTE After looking back at the history of the Big Dog BBQ Cook-off, we were reminded that the first of these events took place in June 2018, as a fund-raiser for the Spur swimming pool. The popular event continued in 2019 and even through the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, and also carried on last summer, 2022—making this the 6th annual, rather than the 7th, as reported recently.
Six years on, the Big Dog BBQ Cookoff, headed up by ’cue cheerleader Betsy Arnold of Spur, is carrying on a tradition that folks have come to lick their lips for.
Locals and visitors alike may again sign up to taste—and judge—some of the best barbecue around the region. Typically, volunteer judges age 18 and over have devoted about an hour of their time on a summer afternoon to rank teams’ offerings of beef, pork ribs, or chicken (or, on Friday nights, a mouth-watering ribeye steak). No experience is required, and competition officials provide a helpful orientation to judges, who may sign up to participate in one or more meat events.
Cook teams begin showing up with their rigs—fancy or plain—on Thursday nights, so that their grills and coals can be set up just right for producing meats that finish in the money.
This year, the IBCA-sanctioned event returns to Spur’s Swenson Park with a change in location. The Friday night cooks’ meeting and Saturday tasting, judging and awards will take place in the golf course clubhouse at the east end of the part, according to Arnold.
Cooks, judges signup. Reservations for cook teams and barbecue judges, as well as collection of registration fees and disbursement of prize money, will all be handled via the Spur Golf Association this year, Arnold said. Any proceeds above the payouts will go to benefit the Golf Association.
The cost to enter is $200 for three meat categories (chicken, pork ribs, and brisket), with the total prize pot dependent on the number of registrants. There will also be a bring-your-own-ribeye steak cook-off Friday night, with a registration fee of $25.
Those interested may contact Shelly Marshall at (806) 422-1104 or shelly.marshall20@ yahoo.com.
Farmer’s Market and Craft Faire. Last week, Dickens County employer Galaxy Digital, which has previously pledged its support to refurbishing Spur’s Swenson Park swimming pool, announced it was taking up the mantle of hosting a Farmer’s Market & Craft Faire in the park on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sellers are invited to reserve a spot in advance and will set up in the outdoor pavilion area in Swenson Park. Vendors should reach out via the event’s Facebook page: https:// fb.me/e/WHK1K7ua of call Briana Sturgis at (530) 558-1397. Fees for vendors will be waived.
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