Oxford BBQ Throwdown
Mark your calendars! The Oxford Convention and Visitors Bureau is getting geared up for the Inaugural Oxford’s Town BBQ Throwdown, which will be held September 28th and 29th, 2007.
The Throwndown will be a weekend of food, fun, and festivities as we welcome championship and amateur cookers to the grounds of the Oxford Conference Center to compete in a Memphis in May Sanctioned BBQ Cooking Competition. Teams will be competing for over $18,000 in cash and prizes. Proceeds from the event will benefit the United Way of Oxford and the Oxford Convention and Visitors Bureau.
There are many aspects to the Throwndown, so there is something for everyone. Whether you have cooked in BBQ Festivals for years, or have never attended one, the Throwdown will have something to offer you. For those championship teams, there will be the competition where teams will compete in a Memphis in May sanctioned cook-off with the Grand Champion winning a spot in the granddaddy of them all-the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest!
Never cooked before? You can be a patio porker--these amateur teams who will compete against each other to determine who cooks the best ribs. So gather your best buddies and get a team together!
“We hope to have lots of locals get amateur teams together.” said Kelly Brown, Office Manager for the CVB and Coordinator of the event. “If you are interested, apply now because spaces are limited!” Applications, along with other information can be found online.
Not interested in cooking? Live music will be featured both Friday and Saturday, and there will be a carnival for the young and young-at-heart. Come to the festival, purchase a beer at the concessions provided by A & B Distributing and the Downtown Grill, and a pork sandwich from one of the many vendors (sorry unless you participate in the people’s choice, you can’t eat the teams’ BBQ--it is just for the judges.) and enjoy all that the weekend will offer.
Speaking of those Judges? Judges for the contest must have completed the judges training class provided by Memphis in May. If you are a trained or certified judge and would like to judge at our contest, please contact Sandra or Kyle Aylor at oxfordbbq@comcast.net or 901-531-8054. If you would like to attend a judges training class, please contact cscott@memphisinmay.org. “We are hoping to hold a class for training judges here in Oxford sometime this summer,” said Brown.
However, if you aren’t MIM trained you may still get a chance to try your hand at judging. You can purchase a sampling of competitive BBQ and pick the best of the best in the People’s Choice Contest. You will learn what trained judges look for in selecting championship pork. Every vote counts and you can help choose the winner of the People's Choice Contest!
The OTBT is currently being sponsored by the Downtown Grill, Downtown Inn and Suites, The Morgan White Group, Belk Ford-Mercury Toyota, Inc., smokinaphattie.com, Domino’s Pizza and A&B Distributers, but it is not too late to get your business involved.
For More information contact Kelly Brown at the Oxford Convention and Visitors Bureau, 662.232.2367 or kelly@oxfordcvb.com. Or you can check us out on the web at www.oxfordbbq.com or www.myspace.com/oxfordbbq
Oxford BBQ Throwdown
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
