Welcome to Our New Sponsor

We are very excited to have Oakridge BBQ as our rub sponsor for the 2012 season! We are very honored to have been selected by Mike Trump as one of his product representatives. His products are top notch and we look forward to adding to his award list and being part of the Oakridge team.

We will get our season kicked off in just a couple of weeks in Pleasant Hill, MO at the Smokin' on Big Creek BBQ contest. This will be our first year cooking this competition. I personally cannot wait to get things started. Even though we have had a warmer than usual winter and practically no snow to boot, I am ready to get this season launched! Hopefully, the momentum we gained at the end of last season can carry over into the start of the 2012 season. It will be hard to gauge because typically that first contest of the season is the one that helps shake off all the dust and rust. I know we will also be facing some top notch teams who have already shaken their dust and rust off.

The rest of our 2012 roadmap is starting to take shape. We will be cooking in Springfield, MO at the Rockin' Rib Fest the weekend of April 20-21st. This will be our third trip to this contest and it is one we enjoy doing.  This year it will not be on the grounds of the Bass Pro Shop but at the Community Blood Center instead. I am going to miss that breakfast buffet in the Pro Shop.

We will also be returning to the Raytown BBQ contest in June and the American Royal in October. We are currently trying to fill in some other dates for the season and hope to schedule at least three to five more contests when all is said and done.

Time to get things started!!

Enjoying BBQ and Horses is Easy at an American Royal Hotel

Kansas City embraces its heritage as a livestock center of the Midwest along with its reputation for being a major BBQ center. In days past, this part of the Midwest was where the Mississippi River met the railroad lines. Cattle coming from the West could come into this area and go up or down the river. They could also cross into the East. Other agricultural goods also followed as more and more land in the Plains came under the plow. That heritage continues in the American Royal festivals that occur every fall in Kansas City. You will find an American Royal hotel is a great place to stay for the fun.

Today, the American Royal BBQ competition is the crown jewel among competitions in North America. BBQ and Kansas City are almost synonymous. People go to Kansas City just to try the dozens of barbeque restaurants that dot the landscape. The American Royal tournament draws people from around the country and around the world. They come to compete for the blue ribbon of BBQ championships. The best judges take samples from dozens of competitors. In the end, only one can emerge a winner in each category. You can experience this if you stay at the American Royal hotel.

Other than BBQ, the American Royal is famous for its long running livestock exhibitions. This exhibition also includes judging contests that offers individuals and teams a great way to see who has the best livestock in the area. There are different categories for competitors. There are categories for Livestock Judging as well as Meat Judging. There is also a separate Crops Judging category. College level and high school level competitors have categories for thee age group. The idea is to advance their knowledge of the field as well as their maturity as individuals. Many families choose to stay at an American Royal hotel.

Horse shows is another reason to visit the American Royal in the fall. Horses are a big part of the American Royal. There are categories including Arabian, cutting horses, hunters/jumpers, quarter horses, and saddle horses. Youth have their own competitions. Each category of competition has its own subcategories. For example, the Arabian division involves competitions in halter classes, western pleasure, English pleasure, and dressage. Throughout the weekend, the horses go through various competitions. In the end, a select few become winners of the Royal. For those coming to see the show, staying at an American Royal hotel make sense.