HOW TO GO
WHAT: Buckeye BBQ Fest
WHERE: The Square @ Union Centre, 9285 Centre Pointe Drive, West Chester Twp.
WHEN: 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, May 20; noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, May 21
COST: $5; free for ages 12 and younger. Food and beverage items are available for purchase.
MORE INFO: www.BuckeyeBBQFest.org
Thousands of locals will turnout for blues, brews and barbecues as part of The Rotary Club of West Chester/Liberty’s Buckeye BBQ Fest on Friday and Saturday.
The Buckeye BBQ Fest will be held at The Square @ Union Centre in West Chester Twp.
If there’s good weather, then about 15,000 visitors are expected to gather for the two-day, family-friendly event, organizers say. On average, 200 volunteers participate.
There will be some changes to this year’s event.
The Kansas City BBQ Society competition component has been eliminated. In previous years, the event included a cooking competition that featured as many as 40 competitive teams.
“We reached out the public, listened, and what we discovered was the public didn’t want to watch people cook barbecue, they wanted to eat barbecue,” said Art Mathews, event chairman and Rotary Club of West Chester/Liberty honorary member.
There are 20 vendors selling barbecue.
In addition to the food, beer and beverages, there are also several types of wine available.
A Budweiser Double Decker Party Bus and a cigar lounge are also a draw.
More tables and chairs have been added, along with casual seating around the Square’s fountain.
Although it was introduced last year with about 15 classic cars, another aspect of the festival that has been expanded this year is the Precision Frame & Body Car Show presented by Fiehrer Motors.
On Friday night, there will be 20 “club cars” in an open car show. The event is not a cruise-in, so only pre-registered vehicles are allowed.
On Saturday, there will be a judged, pre-1970s classic car and open hot rod show with an award presentation at 7 p.m.
Buckeye BBQ Fest has again teamed up with the Cincy Blues Society to showcase 11 blues acts throughout the event, including Sonny Moorman, Chuck Brisbin & the Tuna Project, Cheryl Renee — The Goddess of Blues, Leroy Ellington Blues Band, Johnny Fink and the Intrusion, Tullie Brae and more.
The Hauser Air KidZone will offer inflatable rides on Friday and Saturday as well as face painting and caricature drawings. There will be a 12-animal petting zoo on Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. MetroParks will also be on-site to talk about animals and the park system.
One hundred percent of the proceeds from the event will go back into the West Chester, Liberty, Fairfield and Hamilton communities to organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs and Reach Out Lakota, among others, according to organizers.
“Our goal each year is to provide events for our community that they can get on board with, have fun and enjoy, but also to help us raise money, and we turn around and give that back to the community every year,” Mathews said.
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