This evening, Wednesday, September 26, members of the Downtown Kiwanis Club will gather at their booth (Lot 27, near the public restrooms) at 5 p.m. for their ceremonial “lighting of the fire” and invoking of the “great BBQ spirits.”
And then it’s BBQ on!
The Kiwanis will compete with at least 50 other cooking teams in the 13th Ever BBQ on the River. The event officially begins at noon Thursday, September 27, when Paducah transforms into the largest outdoor BBQ throw-down around. Booth after booth of BBQ, fried Oreos and desserts on sticks fill up downtown, with that unmistakeable smoke and scent of good eatin’ – along with the sound of great music – filling the air.
More than 80 tons of meat will be grilled, smoked and cooked by the likes of the Basty Boys, Larry Darrell & Darrell and, of course, the feudin’ Buzzard Brothers and Good Ole Boys. The teams compete for top awards and, best of all, raise money for favorite local organizations.
The Thrill of the Grill
As usual, the Downtown Kiwanis Club will cook for the St. Nicholas Family Free Clinic. Members gathered for several hours this past Saturday morning to whip up the rubs and sauces using new secret recipes that they’re sure will win the judges’ taste buds.
The club’s first load of pork shoulders will go on huge cookers at about 8 p.m. Wednesday night, thus beginning a 72-hour marathon of cooking more than 5,100 pounds – that’s two and a half tons – of pork and chicken.
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| The Kiwanis Club’s Jim Acton, Bryan Carner and John Oliver mix up special super-secret ingredients for their BBQ on the River rub. |
At least 13 club volunteers will work eight- to 12-hour shifts to keep the booth running. Last year, the club raised more than $7,000 for the Kiwanis Scholarship and St. Nicholas. By 8 p.m. Saturday, members expect to be sold out.
“By Sunday none of us will be able to think about BBQ for many months,” says club member Chuck Williamson of Jackson Purchase Energy. “But it’s great fun. The food, the atmosphere, the people, the music. I've known people who met their future spouses at the event.”
The HOG Experts
While many teams have competed since the event started, this will be the first year for the Serial Grillers, sponsored by Four Rivers Harley-Davidson. Service Manager Chad Robey and several friends will cook in Lot 52 across from Whaler’s Catch and raise money for the Biker’s Toy Run.
They may be new to this event, but the Serial Grillers are serious competitiors. They won the grand championship at the University of Tennessee-Martin BBQ competition this past spring. “We just cook it low and slow,” Robey says.
And they’ll be sending quite a bit of the BBQ back to the Harley-Davidson shop at 1212 Brown St. So if you’re in the mood for a different kind of HOG, stop by the shop’s First Annual Four Rivers HOG Calling open house this weekend. Details are on their Web site.
A Cause Close to Their HeartsAlso new this year are Kate’s Smokin’ Angels, staffed by Jim Sanders, cute, cute, cute Mary Kay Sanders and other family members and friends. They’ll be cooking in memory of Mary Kay’s mom, Kate, and raising money for the Kathryn Sanders Nursing Scholarship Fund named in her honor.
Bring On the BBQ!
Good luck to all the teams and many thanks to the many volunteers for cooking up such a great event!
