There’s going to be a lot of barbecue food this weekend at the Great New York State Fairgrounds. On Saturday, the fourth-annual Salt City BBQ Festival will be held from noon to 11 p.m.

More than 30 teams will compete in a barbecue cook-off, sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society. The competition’s first prize is $800 and a chance to compete in the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue this fall.

All proceeds raised at the festival will go toward event organizers Phoenix Philosophies, an organization that purchases and renovates homes for homeless veterans in Syracuse.

Eileen Carr, president of Phoenix Philosophies, said about 2,500 to 3,000 people attend the event every year. In the past, the festival has raised more than $20,000 for Phoenix Philosophies, making the festival its biggest fundraiser of the year.

“A lot of the local teams will do other events with us, so it’s branched off in all different kinds of directions, and has been a real asset for Phoenix (Philosophies),” Carr said.

Carr also said the competitors arrive a day early to start cooking their meat, getting ready for the competition. Judging is done with a double-blind process by certified barbecue judges from noon to 1:30 p.m. At 4 p.m., the winner will be announced.

The event is held on Armed Forces Day to honor people currently enlisted and serving in the military. Veterans and active duty military members receive a discount on their tickets.

Visitors will have the opportunity to try some of the barbecue. While not all of the barbecue will be sold to attendees, there will be other vendors serving items including pizza, gyros and beer.

There will also be 10 bands performing live music. While the contest is only a portion of the day, the vendors and live music will continue for the duration of the festival.

For the first time, there will also be a kids area with a puppet show from master puppeteer Ian Petrella, who played Randy in “A Christmas Story.” A mashed potato eating contest, in reference to the film, is also scheduled to be held. Petrella will be signing autographs for attendees.

Published on May 15, 2018 at 6:49 pm

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