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Today’s weather forecast consists of thunderstorms, but 16-year Barbeque Blaze-Off participant Larry Shirley is OK with that.
“We’ve been through the whole thing – we’ve cooked in four inches of snow, the rain and the winds,” Blue Springs resident Shirley said of his barbecue competitions. “We’ve been through so much of it, though when it rains and pours and does that, it’s hard to get out and socialize with our friends.”
The 27th annual Blue Springs Barbeque Blaze-Off starts at 5 tonight at Hidden Valley Sports Complex, 6500 N.W. Valley View Road. About 75 teams will compete for $10,000 in cash awards at the Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned contest. The event continues through 11 tonight and on Saturday with live entertainment, Buck-a-Bone contestant sample sales and a beer garden. A free shuttle service will run from 5 tonight until midnight from John Nowlin Elementary School, 5020 N.W. Valley View Road.
“It’s a very festive party atmosphere. Our contest has a reputation for being a party contest, but family-friendly,” said Pam Buck, superintendent of recreation for the city of Blue Springs. Blue Springs Parks and Recreation co-sponsors the event. “Several teams will invite large groups of friends and family out. It’s kind of a little bit like camping – people sleeping outside, large RVs – though most of it is in a parking lot.”
Shirley’s team, Boys Night Out, includes his wife, Martha, and his two “adopted daughters,” Renee and Ronda. Their birth father, John Van Quaethem, participated in Boys Night Out until his death in June 2001.
In September 2001, Boys Night Out won Barbeque Blaze-Off. Martha Shirley named the team years ago because John and Larry spent so much time together and thought it was appropriate.
“People think it’s a lot of partying and beer drinking, but if you’re going to cook and win, you can’t do that. We just focus on the cooking,” Larry Shirley said of the competition. He participates in about 10 barbecue contests each year. “You cook one, and then get ready for another. We’re getting ready for the end of the season. It’s just one of those things you plan for.”
Shirley’s granddaughter, Savannah England, also started cooking, and at 12 years old, she’s already secured two wins in the Kid-Q event.
“I don’t know if I want to call it a sport, but we’re all good friends, and it’s one of those deals where we’re always congratulating each other,” Shirley said. “We all just have a good time, and we all pull for each other.”
For those first-time Barbeque Blaze-Off competitors, Shirley’s message is simple: “They will love it.”
“They will never forget it. It’s just one of those things that when you do it for the first time, you’re hooked,” he said. “We just wanted to do it one time and see what it was like, and it turned out it was fantastic. It’s a way of life for us; we just enjoy it.”
Today’s weather forecast consists of thunderstorms, but 16-year Barbeque Blaze-Off participant Larry Shirley is OK with that.
“We’ve been through the whole thing – we’ve cooked in four inches of snow, the rain and the winds,” Blue Springs resident Shirley said of his barbecue competitions. “We’ve been through so much of it, though when it rains and pours and does that, it’s hard to get out and socialize with our friends.”
The 27th annual Blue Springs Barbeque Blaze-Off starts at 5 tonight at Hidden Valley Sports Complex, 6500 N.W. Valley View Road. About 75 teams will compete for $10,000 in cash awards at the Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned contest. The event continues through 11 tonight and on Saturday with live entertainment, Buck-a-Bone contestant sample sales and a beer garden. A free shuttle service will run from 5 tonight until midnight from John Nowlin Elementary School, 5020 N.W. Valley View Road.
“It’s a very festive party atmosphere. Our contest has a reputation for being a party contest, but family-friendly,” said Pam Buck, superintendent of recreation for the city of Blue Springs. Blue Springs Parks and Recreation co-sponsors the event. “Several teams will invite large groups of friends and family out. It’s kind of a little bit like camping – people sleeping outside, large RVs – though most of it is in a parking lot.”
Shirley’s team, Boys Night Out, includes his wife, Martha, and his two “adopted daughters,” Renee and Ronda. Their birth father, John Van Quaethem, participated in Boys Night Out until his death in June 2001.
In September 2001, Boys Night Out won Barbeque Blaze-Off. Martha Shirley named the team years ago because John and Larry spent so much time together and thought it was appropriate.
“People think it’s a lot of partying and beer drinking, but if you’re going to cook and win, you can’t do that. We just focus on the cooking,” Larry Shirley said of the competition. He participates in about 10 barbecue contests each year. “You cook one, and then get ready for another. We’re getting ready for the end of the season. It’s just one of those things you plan for.”
Shirley’s granddaughter, Savannah England, also started cooking, and at 12 years old, she’s already secured two wins in the Kid-Q event.
“I don’t know if I want to call it a sport, but we’re all good friends, and it’s one of those deals where we’re always congratulating each other,” Shirley said. “We all just have a good time, and we all pull for each other.”
For those first-time Barbeque Blaze-Off competitors, Shirley’s message is simple: “They will love it.”
“They will never forget it. It’s just one of those things that when you do it for the first time, you’re hooked,” he said. “We just wanted to do it one time and see what it was like, and it turned out it was fantastic. It’s a way of life for us; we just enjoy it.”
