BBQ Bash kicks off, S&P Festival unveils poster

Community members got a chance Thursday to eat some barbecue and socialize with some of the cooks who’ll be competing in this weekend’s Bayou BBQ Bash in Morgan City. Officials also unveiled the 2018 Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival Poster.

The St. Mary Chamber of Commerce held a Business After Hours event Thursday night at Hampton Inn & Suites in Morgan City for people to meet the cooks who will be competing at the seventh annual Bayou BBQ Bash and sample some of their barbecue. The chamber hosts the bash.

The actual competition will be Saturday under the U.S. 90 bridge in Morgan City, but there will also be food for sale, arts and craft booths and live music under the bridge Friday evening. Over 40 teams are signed up for the competition.

Craig Smith of St. Amant served chicken wings at the Business After Hours and will compete Saturday in all three meat categories, ribs, brisket and chicken. He first started coming to the bash because of his friendship with bash co-founders, Don Tellman and Tellman’s wife, Mata.

“That’s the reason I’m here,” Smith said.

Danny Titus and his wife, Rhonda, of Youngsville, are helping the Tellmans with the competition this year.

“We take care of the parking, and she takes care of the judging area,” Danny Titus said.

Bill Goessl, owner of The Smokehouse in Morgan City, was at Thursday’s event serving barbecue pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw and ice cream. He’ll be competing in the BBQ Bash Saturday, and The Smokehouse will sell food at the bash, too.

Paul Cheramie and his son, also named Paul, will compete Saturday as part of the Sewart Supply corporate team, Gear-B-Que Crew. They were helping serve ribs to visitors Thursday.

“We just go out there and have a good time,” the older Paul Cheramie said.

John English, who lives in Australia, got to enjoy some barbecue Thursday while he was staying at the Hampton Inn on business. He also plans to go to the bash this weekend.

The Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival unveiled its 2018 festival poster during Thursday’s event. Lafayette artist Tony Bernard created the festival’s poster for the fourth year. Bernard said he wanted to give this year’s poster “a nostalgic look” with black outlines and included a license plate because he’s been doing a series of pieces of art featuring license plates.

Saturday’s Bayou BBQ Bash competition is a Barbecue Competitors Alliance Sanctioned State Championship BBQ Competition. In addition to the competitive teams, there is also a Corporate Cooking Team Throw-Down Challenge for the best corporate company cooking team in St. Mary Parish and a local competition to name the top St. Mary Parish BBQ Team that anyone can enter, a chamber news release said.

The cost to enter is $165 for competitive and local teams and $250 for corporate teams.

A kid’s barbecue competition will be held. Known as the Cannata’s Kids Q, children compete in two divisions: 13-17 years old will cook chicken legs and 12 years and under will cook pork chops. Entry fee is $30.

An awards ceremony will take place at 5 p.m. Saturday. The Grand Champion wins a 10-karat gold ring designed by Len Klutts and donated by Klutts Jewelers.

Ruff N Ready Band will perform Friday at the bash. Live music continues Saturday when Déjà Vu takes the stage from 1-5 p.m.

Also on Friday, arts and crafts booths will be open from 4-10 p.m., and food, drink and beer booths will be open from 5:30-10 p.m. On Saturday, arts and crafts booths are open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

There will be food, soft drinks and beer booths selling a variety of items from 4-9 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday.