Think of it as a giant picnic on Kenosha’s lakefront. All of your friends will be there. Great live music will be provided on two stages and there will be lots of fun activities and games for children of all ages.
That’s Grill Games BBQ Contest and Lakeshore Festival, which will draw BBQ enthusiasts from throughout the Midwest to Harbor Park/Celebration Place (east of the Civil War museum) on Friday and Saturday, August 28 and 29. Admission to the festival grounds is free of charge!
The festival will feature four grilling competitions featuring $9600 in prize money.
Grill Games BBQ Contest and Lakefront Festival is a sanctioned event by the Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS). With over 19,000 members worldwide, KCBS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and enjoying BBQ. With their backing, Grill Games BBQ Contest and Lakefront Festival has been successful in drawing 50 teams to date.
Teams registered for this year’s event are:
Smok’n Booty BBQ
Ken’s Burnt Ends
Memphis in Mundelein
Yellow River BBQ 2014 Winner
Rodeo Joe’s Pignacious BBQ
M.I. – Q’N
Jurassic Pork BBQ
Designated Smokin’ Area
Hazy Blue BBQ
Risky Brisket
The Blu Pig
Rob Dog BBQ
Harbor Hogs BBQ
JC’s Rib Rippin Good BBQ
Big “E” BBQ
Beer & Smoking in Las Vegas
Axe-Men BBQ
T-Baum BBQ
JH Old School
2 Skinny Cooks
Porking Ain’t Easy BBQ
Smokin’ 5 O’s
Grease Monkey Grilling
Smokin’ & Grinnin’
R & W Pit Crew
Burnita Bar-B-Que
The Smoke Hunters 2013 Winner
A Boy Named Que
Hill-Billy BBQ
Q-N With Attitude
Three Legged Pig BBQ
Mud’s BBQ
Smoke 2 Pull
Hoglickers
Smokin’ Stack Racks
Rolls The Bones BBQ
Monsters of the Ribway
Moose’s Barbecue
Valet Porking
2 Bones BBQ
Pig Pile BBQ
Holy Smoque BBQ
Milwaukee Que Crew
F.G.’s BBQ
Blue Island BBQ Company
Kave Dwellers
A Motley Que
Duce’s Wild
Johnny Ray’s BBQ
The American Dream BBQ Team (points leader Sam’s Club/KCBS National Team of the Year)
These teams love the Kenosha festival and travel from across the country to compete. Terri Hartl of the Risky Brisket Barbeque Team said, “Kenosha’s Grill Games BBQ Contest and Lakefront Festival is one of the best contests we compete in, not in small part due to the beautiful lakefront location.”
On Saturday there will also be three demonstrations that BBQ enthusiasts will enjoy. At 3:30 p.m., Brandon Richardella of the Blue Island BBQ Company will present “Tailgating Made Easy – Not Just Hamburgers and Hot Dogs”.
That will be followed by Nick Schmidt of Moose’s BBQ at 4:30 Saturday speaking on BBQ Ribs.
Finally, BBQ Brisket will be the topic at the 5:30 presentation by Brian Polak of Designated Smokin’ Area.
This contest is called the People’s Choice Competition and the chefs will be judged on BBQ chicken, pork ribs, pork and beef brisket. They will also compete in desserts.
Festival-goers wishing to sample some of America’s finest BBQ will have an opportunity to do so. The People’s Choice Competition, featuring all of the teams named above, will run from 2 to 7 p.m. on Saturday. Tasting cards are available for purchase in advance online and will also be available at the Kenosha Area Chamber of Commerce information tent at the festival.
There will also be a Community BBQ Challenge sponsored by the Kenosha News and Ocean Spray Cranberries. In this competition individuals, families and teams of friends and coworkers will compete for prizes as well.
Kenosha’s Best BBQ Competition will feature the BBQed culinary delights of local restaurants, pubs and caterers. That contest will be on Friday, August 28 from 4 to 7 p.m. Tasting cards are also available to festival goers for this highly coveted crown.
There will also be a number of vendors at the festival offering a variety of foods including corn on the cob, shaved ice and other appropriate delicacies.
Kenosha’s Grill Games BBQ Contest and Lakefront Festival is Kenosha’s biggest BBQ festival and is located on beautiful Lake Michigan. There will be entertainment throughout the day, activities for the kids and an exclusive Beer Garden.
All of the money raised at Grill Games benefits the foundations of the Kenosha Area Chamber of Commerce and the Kenosha YMCA.
Sponsorships are key to the success of the event. This year Festival Foods is the major sponsor. Several other major community sponsors are also supporting the event, including Kenosha News, Lynch Chevrolet, CJW, Snap-on Incorporated, Gruber Law Offices, Uline, Ocean Spray, Best Western Harborside, Milwaukee Bucks, Educators Credit Union, EZ Pack N Ship, Innovative Floors and Hair Unlimited.