Top barbecue experts to compete in Harvest Festival

A dozen barbecue teams will compete in the Harvest Festival this weekend at North Dam Park.

It is estimated that the two-member teams will spend about $500 to compete in an effort to walk away with the grand prize of $1,000. Only two teams are local; the rest come from all over the Pacific Northwest.

The event with multiple areas of interest begins this Friday and concludes on Sunday. It’s the Third Annual Harvest Festival and is sponsored by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce.

The barbecue event is sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Barbecue Association with a total of $3,500 in prize money put up by the Coulee Dam Credit Union. The association will have about 20 officials here for the event, including head judge Jenny Beesler and coordinator LeRoy Payne.

The top two prizes in the barbecue competition are the grand champion with prize money of $1,000 and reserve champion with a cash prize of $540. Both get trophies.

Other prizes range from first place to sixth place with money and ribbons.

The teams and head chefs are: Bad Bones, Brian Gurney, Happy Valley, Oregon; Caveman BBQ, Keith Pursch, Spokane Valley; Drummin Up Barbecue, Daryl Kunzi, Coeur d’Alene; G-Pa D’s BBQ, David Adams, Spokane; Lake House BBQ, Diane Mee, Everett; Old Coulee Que, Denny Pinar, Almira; Pork Daddy’s, Doug Canada, East Wenatchee; Tropical Piggy, Mike Shear, Electric City; UFF-DA-Q, Daron Tandberg, Yakima; Uncle LeRoy’s BBQ, LeRoy Payne, Spokane; and Wine Country “Q”, Rhana McGee, Duvall.

Competitors will prepare pork, brisket, chicken and ribs with special turn-in times. The final judging and sampling will be at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Contest rules are strict and demanding, and competitors will be at their barbecue grills for the duration of the contest.

There’s also a pie baking contest. If you can bake a berry or apple pie, heat up the oven and bring two pies down for the judging contest. One pie is for the judging and the other for sampling. Four local judges will make the decision.

Chamber of commerce officials stated that there will be over 30 sale booths and food vendors.

You can bring the entire family for the hay rides, pet costume contest, community-wide yard sale, helicopter rides, a motorcycle poker run that will send contestants on a 160-mile trip, and a beer garden for adult refreshments.

The beer garden will be open Friday from 5-10 p.m.; Saturday from 3-10; and Sunday during the barbecue judging.

Most events at the Harvest Festival are free, so bring the family and enjoy the fun.