BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES OCTOBER 13, 2020
Comments Off on BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES OCTOBER 13, 2020Board Members Present
Amy Overbey President
Mark Kenney Vice President
Lisa Dommes Secretary
Ercole Chila
Chiles Cridlin
Chris Schriver
Brant Williams
Board Members Absent
Meg Ferguson Treasurer
Bob Trudnak
Others Present
Luke Darnell
Call to Order
Ms. Overbey called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m., noting the presence of a quorum.
Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes
Mr. Kenney moved to approve the minutes of the September 15, 2020 Board of Directors meeting as submitted. Mr. Chila seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
President’s Report
No report.
Old Business
Mr. Schriver was asked about the status of the Membership Survey. He stated that he still needs the Survey Monkey login from Ms. Ferguson.
Committee Reports
Membership Committee: Mr. Cridlin provided a summary of the membership statistics to date for the current year. He also provided a summary of the Backyard Subcommittee meeting and the activities of that committee. Potential goals include a MABA sanctioned Backyard ToY competition, a Backyard state cup series and integration of the Mid Atlantic Backyard Barbecue group with MABA. The Membership Committee will work on a virtual Annual Meeting and other activities to keep the membership engaged. Ms. Overbey will send last year’s agenda and any other planning materials to Mr. Schriver to begin planning an agenda.
Publications Committee: Ms. Dommes reported that she worked with Janet from National Barbecue News to update the membership database and member contact information. Minutes are being posted to the website after approval at the following Board meeting. Post-contest “Shout Outs” to the MABA members receiving calls are being posted to Facebook and Instagram. George DeMartz and Chris Schriver submitted a contest review of the first-year Connelly Springs competition. Ms. Dommes reported that Steve Dotson has volunteered to join the committee and will submit a report from Zom-B-Q and the KCBS Invitational for the social media channels. The Board approved his appointment to the committee.
Website Committee: Mr. Kenney reported that WordPress has updated and the plugins will now automatically update.
Finance Committee: No report.
Bylaws Committee: No report.
Nominations Committee: The terms of Amy Overbey, Mark Kenney, Megan Ferguson, Bob Trudnak and Chris Schriver are expiring. The elections process and timeline were discussed. Ms. Dommes will serve as Nominations Committee Chair and send out the Call for Candidates and set up the ballot on Election Buddy.
New Business
Board Transition: The Board discussed the upcoming turnover of Board members. Due to the large number of Board seats turning over, Ms. Overbey asked the Board members to come to the next meeting prepared to turn over necessary information and document as much as possible for the incoming Board members to facilitate the transition.
Adjournment
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 7:59 p.m. The next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for November 10.
Respectfully submitted,
Lisa Dommes, Board Secretary
Thanksgiving Turkey Showdown Contest
Comments Off on Thanksgiving Turkey Showdown ContestBird is the word! Turkey Smoke and the Mid-Atlantic Barbecue Association are excited to partner for this contest. Show us how you cooked your Thanksgiving turkey for a chance to win $$$ and bragging rights worth gobbling about.
1st – $250
2nd – $150
3rd – $100
Each of these winners will also receive additional giveaways – seasonings, etc.
Contest deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET on November 30. Winners will be announced on December 7.
Rules: Open only to MABA members in good standing. Contestants should submit a brief description of their preparation and three (3) photos: 1) Turkey prior to cooking – can be an image of the raw turkey or it being prepped for cooking (in packaging or not) 2) Turkey in-process during cooking – in the cooking device preferred 3) Finished product. Photos must also be posted on the MABA Facebook page.
Judging: Ray “Dr. BBQ” Lampe will judge the entries, which will be blinded. A bonus point will be given to those who think “outside the oven.” Entries will be judged on the overall impression of the turkey, including appearance and tenderness. Remember! Since there is no “taste” category, make sure the judge can see how good it is!
Entry Form: https://bit.ly/MABATurkeyContest
Social Media: If tagging Turkey Smoke, please use @ServeTurkey and #TurkeySmoke, where applicable.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
Comments Off on BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 15, 2020Board Members Present
Amy Overbey President
Mark Kenney Vice President
Lisa Dommes Secretary
Ercole Chila
Chiles Cridlin
Chris Schriver
Bob Trudnak
Brant Williams
Board Members Absent
Meg Ferguson Treasurer
Call to Order
Ms. Overbey called the meeting to order at 8:05 p.m., noting the presence of a quorum.
Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes
Ms. Overbey moved to approve the minutes of the August 11, 2020 Board of Directors meeting as submitted. Mr. Kenney seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
President’s Report
No report.
Old Business
Mr. Schriver was asked to send the Membership Survey out to the membership. He stated that he needs the Survey Monkey login from Ms. Ferguson.
Committee Reports
Ms. Overbey asked the Committee Chairs to schedule meetings and report when the meetings will be held.
Membership Committee: Mr. Cridlin provided a summary of his written report. He provided a comparative review of the membership rolls from 2019 to 2020, and membership statistics for the current year.
Publications Committee: Ms. Dommes reported that she worked with Janet from National Barbecue News to update the membership database and member contact information. Minutes are being posted to the website after approval at the following Board meeting. Post-contest “Shout Outs” to the MABA members receiving calls are being posted to Facebook and Instagram. Ms. Overbey reported that Norris ”Syd” Sydnor has volunteered for the Publications Committee, and he will be asked to submit a contest review of the Pigmaster’s BBQ Throwdown. Ms. Dommes reported that all Board members have been added as Admins on the MABA Facebook group. She noted that she has not been provided administrative rights for the official MABA Facebook page. Mr. Williams has administrative access and will make all the Board members Admins on the Facebook page. The committee was tasked to create a code of conduct or house rules for the MABA page and group (treat others with respect, no selling, no negative comments, etc.). The committee was asked to provide recognition of all teams attending the upcoming KCBS Invitational Championship, both Master Series and Backyard.
Website Committee: No report.
Finance Committee: No report.
Bylaws Committee: No report. John Brown has volunteered to join the Bylaws Committee.
New Business
Single-meat Contests: The Board discussed the change to the KCBS ToY points chase to allow single-meat rib competitions to count toward KCBA ToY points. The MABA ToY Rules do not consider contests other than KCBS four-meat competitions, so the Board would prefer that the single meat scores be excluded from the MABA ToY points chase, but will consider allowing the scores if excluding them proves to be an undue burden on Mr. Kenney. Mr. Kenney will check the data streams from KCBS to determine if the single-meat scores are flowing into the MABA ToY tracking, and whether they are being bundled into the rib scores for four-meat contests or maintained separately. Decision was tabled to the October meeting once Mr. Kenney has had time to gather more information..
Rookie Team of the Year: Two teams have applied for Rookie Team of the Year consideration. One team does not qualify and will be notified by Mr. Cridlin.
Adjournment
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 8:53 p.m. The next Board of Directors meeting will be held on October 13.
Respectfully submitted,
Lisa Dommes, Board Secretary
Pigmaster’s BBQ Challenge – Rutherford College, NC
Comments Off on Pigmaster’s BBQ Challenge – Rutherford College, NCBy George DeMartz – Pitmaster of Twisted Pair BBQ, and Chris Schriver – Pitmaster of Brother-Uncle Barbeque
2020 has been a tough year for a lot of BBQ competitors and BBQ contests! Now imagine being a 1st time Organizer trying to put on a 1st time KCBS sanctioned contest in a small town in the foothills of North Carolina! Pigmaster’s BBQ Challenge was just that contest and it was also the first MABA contest of the year in NC. Last year, a small unsanctioned contest was held with this year’s original concept to have a full out Town of Rutherford College run event that included an SCA Steak Contest, People’s Choice Pork, KCBS Ancillary Moonshine dessert, and a KCBS Masters Series Event with some big time BBQ names! Pitmaster Joel Abee of Creekside Smokers – NC and Jessica Bargsley, Town Clerk and Finance Manager, were the driving forces behind this event working with town officials to set the budget, establish the infrastructure, and guide the town staff into setting themselves up for long-term BBQ event success. Jessica will be the future organizer of this contest and was instrumental in the planning, organizing and fund raising. About that infrastructure investment, it was noted and well received that several power stations were made a permanent part of the parking lot surrounding the Town Hall building and extra portable power stations were tied in to make sure the teams had ample power.
The competition was set to be a big success, but then COVID hit. The event was pushed from the spring of 2020 to September 11-12, 2020 as North Carolina was in a high state of containment as a direct result of the COVID pandemic. The organizer and town did an outstanding job in the face of adversity and downsized this year’s event to a non-public, private competition only, and put safeguards and checkpoints in place to ensure that the competitors and judges were provided the safest environment to participate in. There was a fenced-off single entrance into the competition with a temperature check point. Team members were checked against a list of competitors along with the “new normal” guidelines of using masks, gloves, and sanitary wipes.
The eve of the KCBS sanctioned contest started off with an SCA sanctioned steak contest including a burger ancillary. There were 31 strong steak cooks in this field where several of the MABA and KCBS teams took the time from their BBQ prep to cook the steak contest. It should be highlighted that during the KCBS meeting, reps Alan Rothrock and Doug Reid did a fine job of setting out the guidelines for the event, talking the teams through the COVID guidelines and getting everyone settled in. A couple of first time Masters cook teams were present amongst a stacked field of which about 50% of the teams represented had GC’d or RGC’d in the past!
Saturday morning rolled around, and the competitors woke up to a hazy overcast day with smoke rolling on the humid air. You could feel the anticipation from the event staff as they checked on the cook teams to see if anything was needed. They wanted this event to be successful and competitors to be comfortable and welcomed. A produce wagon was brought in where teams were offered sweet corn, melons, and other vegetables free of charge.
As the competition heated up on Saturday during turn-ins, teams could be seen dodging rain drops as they delivered their prized boxes of BBQ perfection to the turn-in station. Shortly thereafter, awards started, just as the rain was settling down for the day and the teams’ fires were dying out. Awards were unique, and custom made with top 5 category places receiving a cool “Thunder Gourd” with overall grand champion and reserve grand champion receiving custom made wooden US flags. Walking away with overall grand champion was Smoke Monster BBQ (Justin Huey) with a 705+ score! Taking reserve grand champion honors was Mcadoo Heights BBQ (Sean Sewell and crew) with a 697+ score.
Two perfect scores would be crowned as well as Hickory Barbeque Company would score a perfect 180 in chicken and Redneck Scientific would score a perfect 180 in pork! The six-month competition hiatus from COVID didn’t seem to faze the teams from putting out quality products. In speaking with the judges afterwards it was noted that a lot of good BBQ was presented that day, and all seemed happy to be back judging again. Thank you to all who helped make the Pigmaster’s BBQ Challenge a safe and successful event. Here’s to making next year bigger and better!
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES AUGUST 11, 2020
Comments Off on BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES AUGUST 11, 2020Board Members Present
Amy Overbey President
Mark Kenney Vice President
Lisa Dommes Secretary
Meg Ferguson Treasurer
Ercole Chila
Chiles Cridlin
Chris Schriver
Board Members Absent
Bob Trudnak
Brant Williams
Others Present
Luke Darnell
Call to Order
Ms. Overbey called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m., noting the presence of a quorum.
Executive Session: Membership Application
The Board entered Executive Session at 7:08 p.m. to consider a membership application. The Board reconvened in Open Session at 7:15 p.m.
*Mr. Schriver joined the meeting at 7:10 p.m.
Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes
Ms. Overbey moved to approve the minutes of the July 14, 2020 Board of Directors meeting as submitted. Ms. Ferguson seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
President’s Report
Ms. Overbey stated that she will compose a President’s article for the upcoming newsletter.
Old Business
The Board discussed the Super Season and the logo designed by Mr. Williams. Ms. Ferguson moved to approve the Super Season logo for use in all publications regarding the event. Mr. Chila seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
Committee Reports
Membership Committee: Mr. Cridlin provided a comparative review of the membership rolls from 2019 to 2020, and membership statistics for the current year. The committee may launch an email campaign to encourage renewals and new memberships.
*Mr. Darnell left at 7:34.
*Mr. Kenney left at 7:39.
Publications Committee: Ms. Dommes reported that she worked with Janet from National Barbecue News to update the membership database and member contact information. Minutes are being posted to the website after approval at the following Board meeting. Post-contest “Shout Outs” to the MABA members receiving calls are being posted to Facebook and Instagram. Mr. Calloway wrote a post-contest summary of BBQ Wythe Us that was posted to the MABA page and blog. A newsletter will be sent to the membership soon.
Ms. Overbey moved that all current Board members should have Administrative access to both the MABA group and page on Facebook. This access level should automatically be updated each time the Board members turn over. Ms. Ferguson seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
Website Committee: Mr. Kenney will need to update the code for the Tier 2 teams to allow for more contests during the 2020/21 Super Season.
Finance Committee: Ms. Ferguson reported that there has been little activity.
Bylaws Committee: No report.
Membership Survey
Mr. Schriver was asked to post the Membership Survey questions to the Board Facebook page for review.
New Business
Mr. Cridlin proposed that the Mission Statement be read aloud at the start of every Board meeting to focus attention on our core mission. Ms. Overbey moved that Mr. Cridlin can read the Mission Statement at the start of each Board meeting. Mr. Cridlin seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
Adjournment
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 8:14 p.m. The next Board of Directors meeting will be held on September 8.
Respectfully submitted,
Lisa Dommes, Board Secretary
MABA Fall Update
Comments Off on MABA Fall UpdateLetter from the Board of Directors to our Valued Membership
| 2020 has been filled with so much uncertainty due to the Coronaviris Pandemic and sadly, the BBQ season in the Mid-Atlantic was not immune to the effects. The Mid-Atlantic BBQ Association has been very fortunate and grateful for the continued support of our members, even in the absence of contests. We truly cannot thank you enough for continuing to support the mission of our association. Because of your commitment we will be able to continue to grow the association and move forward with new initiatives without fear for our future! We also want you to know, the MABA board has been actively watching and discussing what is happening throughout our region to make, what we feel, are the best decisions for our 2020 season and beyond. While some contests are taking place and others are still planned for later in the year, due to regulatory guidelines in the past or still in question for the future, not all of our Mid-Atlantic States will be able to host a contest this year. Taking that and many other factors into consideration, the Board has made the decision to indefinitely postpone the 2019 MABA Cup Finals and we will not be holding MABA State Cups during the 2020 Season. We will re-evaluate the resumption of State Cups and the MABA Cup Finals once more is known in 2021. |
2020 MABA Super Season
| We are unable to book a venue for our Annual Awards banquet with any kind of certainty, with the ever changing restrictions. We want all of our membership to be able to attend and with current and future restrictions unknown that just isn’t possible at this time. We, however, are VERY EXCITED to announce the creation of a 2020 + 2021 SUPER SEASON for the Rookie Team of the Year and Tier 1 and Tier 2 Team of the Year Points Chases. We will do this by combining all cooks for eligible teams from the 2020 and 2021 seasons. What this will look like: |
| 1.RToY: will follow all current RToY Rules, but can compete in any number of MABA approved sanctioned competitions during the course of the Super Season. 2.ToY Tier 1: will follow all current Tier 1 Rules, but can compete in any number of MABA approved sanctioned competitions during the course of the Super Season 3.Toy Tier 2: will follow all current Tier 2 Rules, but can compete in 7 or less contests in each contest year (2020 and/or 2021) of the Super Season, but not to exceed 14 contests during the Super Season. We understand, some are still out there traveling and competing week in and week out and some have yet to check on their tents and trailers. We believe this format provides a fair way for all of our MABA members to remain competitive in our area regardless of your 2020 season choices. We hope you will continue to stick with us through the difficult times so we can celebrate the awesome ones even more when they come our way. To those out there competing, we wish you the best of luck and look forward to seeing what you are up to this season. We would love to feature you, your team and your experiences in a MABA newsletter or social media post in the future. And to those, choosing to not compete we are here for you too. We would love to feature you, your team and your experiences cooking at home, for family and friends or doing whatever it is you may be doing during this pandemic to fuel the BBQ fire within! Please feel free to reach out via social media or email us at maba@mabbqa.com with article ideas, comments or questions. Website: http://mabbqa.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/Mabbqa IG: https://www.instagram.com/mabbqa/ |
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Volunteer Today to Serve on a MABA Committee
| Are you a MABA member in good standing? Do you want to help MABA grow and move forward on new initiatives and opportunities? Then we have a committee for you! The standing committees we are looking to fill are Bylaws, Membership, Publications, Website, Finance, Strategic Planning and Nominations. If you have interest or talents in any of these areas, please make your interest known by emailing the Board of Directors at maba@mabbqa.com and indicate how you would like to help. Do you have a flair for writing or are you a social media master? If you can’t commit to an ongoing volunteer position, we always welcome articles or social media posts from our members. Ron Calloway recently wrote a great contest recap for BBQ Wythe Us, included below. Thanks, Ron! We welcome social media submission ideas to maba@mabbqa.com. Bylaws: Responsible for review and revision of Bylaws to ensure they are current and benefit the Association. Membership: Recruitment, retention and enhancement of member benefits. Publications: Responsible for maintaining and engaging members through social media pages, email blasts and other printed material as needed. Website: Responsible for the maintenance, content and update of MABA’s website including calendar of events and blog section. Finance: Responsible for the preparation, implementation and monitoring of all fiscal year operating budgets for the Association. Strategic Planning: Responsible for developing and updating a Strategic Plan to assist the Association in accomplishing its long range goals. Nominations: Responsible for announcing open positions to the membership and establishing the deadline for nominations as well as preparing the slate of candidates for the next year’s Board of Directors election. Email Us Your Interest at: maba@mabbqa.com |
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CONTEST RECAP
BBQ Wythe Us Double – Wytheville, VA
By Ron Calloway – Pitmaster of Zoni-Q
| Event organizer Erin Bowman had no idea her first BBQ event would be earth shattering. In fact, the first earthquake in over 100 years in the area, centered near Sparta, NC and a mere 50 miles from Wytheville would not faze Ms. Bowman. Forty-five teams would gather in Wytheville, Virginia for the First Annual BBQ Wythe US Double competition. The event was held at the Apex Center near Wytheville and provided a scenic mountainside view of sunsets and sunrises for the teams gathered. To say that Erin and her team ran a great competition is an understatement, especially for a first-time event. Ms. Bowman was especially grateful for the help and assistance she received from KCBS’s Alan Rothrock and the KCBS judges as well as Ham Squad Pitmaster David Dick. “I was very fortunate to have Dave’s help with getting the event off the ground and his experience running Zom-B-Q at this venue was a huge help,” said Ms. Bowman. |
 Beautiful setting at the APEX Center in Wytheville, VA. Photo courtesy of Lisa Dommes |
| Everyone knows how the BBQ competition schedule has changed almost daily this past year due to the COVID-19 virus. Everyone adhered to the new KCBS standard for participating in a barbeque competition by wearing masks, gloves and practicing social distancing. Suffice to say this will be the manner in which we participate in KCBS competitions for the foreseeable future. The mere fact that this may be the last competition in the Mid-Atlantic region this year brought teams from the entire Mid-Atlantic region. It seems the average distance for most teams was three hours, while first-time competitor Stanley Bryant from The People’s BBQ drove twelve hours from Downingtown, Pennsylvania to compete! Stanley’s People’s BBQ wasn’t the only first-time competitor in the Backyard group as eleven-year-old Kenzie Fink from Rockwell, North Carolina would also cook in her first event as head pitmaster. In fact, Kenzie would take all of us Backyard competitors to the wood shed on day 1 of the event as she was named Grand Champion. How’s that for the first-time pit master? Kenzie was very appreciative of all the support she’s received, especially from Tiffany Patrick (#thisgirlknowsmeat) and Michael Fay (Aporkalypse Now BBQ). Tiffany sent Kenzie a BBQ Comp care package and Mike gave Kenzie a nice Aporkalypse Now BBQ T-shirt and some other supplies. Day 1 had 16 Backyard teams and this was a stacked field. In addition to Steve Dotson (D’Qued Barbeque); Chris Lemon (Lem’s Meat Varnish), and Travis Murphy (Gold-N-Blue Barbecue) we had two solid teams from Delaware – Andrew Pearce (Manhattan Jack’s BBQ) and Aaron Cary (MRC Barbecue) travel the seven hours to compete. David Dick from Ham Squad nailed a perfect score in chicken on day 1– congratulations Piggy Smalls! For the pros, day 1 also saw a perfect score for chicken going out to Smack that Butt BBQ – nice work guys! Donald Cook from Who Cares BBQ brought home the day 1 GC, highlighted by his first ever 700 total score! “We’ve been less than a half point away from 700 several times so it’s nice to check this one off the list,” commented Donald. Muttley Crew BBQ pulled down the RGC for day 1 with a very respectable score of 692. |
 Sunrise on Day 2. Photo courtesy of Chris Schriver. |
| Day 2 started off with the 5.2 magnitude earthquake which many folks felt at the Apex Center. Fortunately, no one was injured and the only casualty was yours truly spilling a beer. It would not be the only beer spilled at the Zoni-Q site that day. There were 17 teams that competed in Sunday’s Pro Event and the rare back-to-back GC Double was awarded to Who Cares BBQ. Talk about consistency, Donald and his team of Mom (Sue) and Dad (Don, Sr.) proved that it pays to follow your timelines and adjust as needed. Obviously the earthquake didn’t affect Who Cares BBQ! The RGC for Pros on day 2 was Bald Hawg BBQ who edged out third place finisher Bad Azz Mule BBQ and fourth place finisher Chris Schriver of Brother-Uncle Barbeque. On the Backyard side, we had 15 teams compete on day 2 and congrats go out to Grand Champion Jamie Trader from Sweet & Savory BBQ. His total score of 346 was closely followed by Travis Murphy from Gold-N-Blue Barbecue. Travis’s team rebounded nicely from day 1 where they finished in seventh place. Dennis Bowman from Bowman’s Butt & BBQ also battled back from day 1 anchored by his win in ribs with four perfect scores and 177 points. The BBQ Princess, Kenzie Lou finished in sixth place overall on day 2 but was able to snag first place chicken with a score of 176 and the two-day overall GC. |
 Two-day Backyard Grand Champion, Kenzie Fink of KenzielouQ. Photo courtesy of KenzielouQ. |
| Event organizer Erin Bowman said she’d like to come back to Wytheville for a similar event in 2021 and based on the comments and feedback from the competitors, the Second Annual BBQ Wythe US would be a rousing success. We’ll just all hope the earthquakes stay away. |
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS
| The Board of Directors currently meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. Once the Board meeting minutes are approved at the next meeting, they are posted to the Board Meeting Notes page on the website. |
BBQ Wythe Us Double – Wytheville, VA
Comments Off on BBQ Wythe Us Double – Wytheville, VABy Ron Calloway – Pitmaster of Zoni-Q
Event organizer Erin Bowman had no idea her first BBQ event would be earth shattering. In fact, the first earthquake in over 100 years in the area, centered near Sparta, NC and a mere 50 miles from Wytheville would not faze Ms. Bowman. Forty-five teams would gather in Wytheville, Virginia for the First Annual BBQ Wythe US Double competition. The event was held at the Apex Center near Wytheville and provided a scenic mountainside view of sunsets and sunrises for the teams gathered. To say that Erin and her team ran a great competition is an understatement, especially for a first-time event. Ms. Bowman was especially grateful for the help and assistance she received from KCBS’s Alan Rothrock and the KCBS judges as well as Ham Squad Pitmaster David Dick. “I was very fortunate to have Dave’s help with getting the event off the ground and his experience running Zom-B-Q at this venue was a huge help,” said Ms. Bowman.
Everyone knows how the BBQ competition schedule has changed almost daily this past year due to the COVID-19 virus. Everyone adhered to the new KCBS standard for participating in a barbeque competition by wearing masks, gloves and practicing social distancing. Suffice to say this will be the manner in which we participate in KCBS competitions for the foreseeable future. The mere fact that this may be the last competition in the Mid-Atlantic region this year brought teams from the entire Mid-Atlantic region. It seems the average distance for most teams was three hours, while first-time competitor Stanley Bryant from The People’s BBQ drove twelve hours from Downingtown, Pennsylvania to compete!
Stanley’s People’s BBQ wasn’t the only first-time competitor in the Backyard group as eleven-year-old Kenzie Fink from Rockwell, North Carolina would also cook in her first event as head pitmaster. In fact, Kenzie would take all of us Backyard competitors to the wood shed on day 1 of the event as she was named Grand Champion. How’s that for the first-time pit master? Kenzie was very appreciative of all the support she’s received, especially from Tiffany Patrick (#thisgirlknowsmeat) and Michael Fay (Aporkalypse Now BBQ). Tiffany sent Kenzie a BBQ Comp care package and Mike gave Kenzie a nice Aporkalypse Now BBQ T-shirt and some other supplies.
Day 1 had 16 Backyard teams and this was a stacked field. In addition to Steve Dotson (D’Qued Barbeque); Chris Lemon (Lem’s Meat Varnish), and Travis Murphy (Gold-N-Blue Barbecue) we had two solid teams from Delaware – Andrew Pearce (Manhattan Jack’s BBQ) and Aaron Cary (MRC Barbecue) travel the seven hours to compete. David Dick from Ham Squad nailed a perfect score in chicken on day 1– congratulations Piggy Smalls!
For the pros, day 1 also saw a perfect score for chicken going out to Smack that Butt BBQ – nice work guys! Donald Cook from Who Cares BBQ brought home the day 1 GC, highlighted by his first ever 700 total score! “We’ve been less than a half point away from 700 several times so it’s nice to check this one off the list,” commented Donald. Muttley Crew BBQ pulled down the RGC for day 1 with a very respectable score of 692.
Day 2 started off with the 5.2 magnitude earthquake which many folks felt at the Apex Center. Fortunately, no one was injured and the only casualty was yours truly spilling a beer. It would not be the only beer spilled at the Zoni-Q site that day. There were 17 teams that competed in Sunday’s Pro Event and the rare back-to-back GC Double was awarded to Who Cares BBQ. Talk about consistency, Donald and his team of Mom (Sue) and Dad (Don, Sr.) proved that it pays to follow your timelines and adjust as needed. Obviously the earthquake didn’t affect Who Cares BBQ! The RGC for Pros on day 2 was Bald Hawg BBQ who edged out third place finisher Bad Azz Mule BBQ and fourth place finisher Chris Schriver of Brother-Uncle Barbeque.
On the Backyard side, we had 15 teams compete on day 2 and congrats go out to Grand Champion Jamie Trader from Sweet & Savory BBQ. His total score of 346 was closely followed by Travis Murphy from Gold-N-Blue Barbecue. Travis’s team rebounded nicely from day 1 where they finished in seventh place. Dennis Bowman from Bowman’s Butt & BBQ also battled back from day 1 anchored by his win in ribs with four perfect scores and 177 points. The BBQ Princess, Kenzie Lou finished in sixth place overall on day 2 but was able to snag first place chicken with a score of 176 and the two-day overall GC.
Event organizer Erin Bowman said she’d like to come back to Wytheville for a similar event in 2021 and based on the comments and feedback from the competitors, the Second Annual BBQ Wythe US would be a rousing success. We’ll just all hope the earthquakes stay away.
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes July 14, 2020
Comments Off on Board of Directors Meeting Minutes July 14, 2020Board Members Present
Amy Overbey President
Mark Kenney Vice President
Lisa Dommes Secretary
Meg Ferguson Treasurer
Chiles Cridlin
Chris Schriver
Brant Williams
Board Members Absent
Ercole Chila
Bob Trudnak
Call to Order
Ms. Overbey called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m., noting the presence of a quorum.
Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes
Ms. Overbey moved to approve the minutes of the June 10, 2020 Board of Directors meeting as submitted. Mr. Cridlin seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
President’s Report
Ms. Overbey stated that she would like the Board to generate ideas for engagement with the membership through increased communication, social media posts, and possibly some giveaways on the Facebook page.
Membership Survey
Mr. Schriver has submitted a draft membership survey. The Board members were asked to review it and provide any input.
*Mr. Williams arrived at 7:15.
State Cups/Team of the Year
The Board discussed how to address State Cups and the ToY points chases.
Mr. Cridlin moved to create a 2020/2021 Super Season for the ToY and RToY points chases, combining points from both years to establish the ToY/RToY winner at the end of 2021. Tier 2 teams can compete in 7 or fewer contests each calendar year of the Super Season, not to exceed 14 contests during the Super Season. RToY eligible teams may compete in any number of contests during the 2020/2021 Super Season and retain eligibility. The 2019 State Cup Final will be re-evaluated in 2021 once more is known about the season’s status. There will be no State Cups for 2020. Resumption of the State Cups will be re-evaluated in 2021. Mr. Kenney seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
Ms. Overbey will write an announcement to the membership with all of the details of the Super Season and send ideas to Mr. Williams for the creation of a Super Season logo.
Committee Reports
Membership Committee: Mr. Cridlin provided a comparative review of the membership rolls from 2019 to 2020. The Board discussed the creation of a Team membership option. The committee will discuss the feasibility of creating that membership class and the proposed fee schedule.
Mr. Cridlin moved to appoint the following to the 2020 Membership Committee: Chiles Cridlin (Chair), Chris Schriver, and Lisa Dommes. Mr. Kenney seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
Mr. Cridlin moved to appoint the following to the Backyard Subcommittee: Chiles Cridlin (Chair), Chris Schriver, Lisa Dommes, Steve Dotson, and Travis Murphy. Ms. Overbey seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
Mr. Cridlin requested direction for the Backyard Subcommittee’s focus. Ms. Overbey asked the committee to determine how many in the Backyard Facebook group are MABA members, and determine what expectations the MABA Backyard members have in terms of their MABA membership benefits.
Website Committee: The Resources page on the website needs to be updated.
*Mr. Schriver arrived at 8:09.
Publications Committee: Ms. Dommes reported that she worked with Janet from National Barbecue News to update the membership database and member contact information. Minutes are being posted to the website after approval at the following Board meeting. She reported on the engagement statistics for the newsletter that was recently emailed to the membership. Post-contest “Shout Outs” to the MABA members receiving calls are being posted to Facebook and Instagram, and they continue to be popular social media posts. Mr. Cridlin wrote a post-contest summary of the York County BBQ Festival that was also popular with the membership.
The recent call to the membership for volunteers did not receive any responses. Ms. Overbey will approach Norris Sydnor, The Griller B’s, and Ron Calloway about volunteering in an ongoing way or on occasion as they have expressed an interest in the past. Mr. Cridlin will approach George DeMartz as well. Ms. Overbey suggested identifying members who would be willing to do a write-up on a given topic to be sent to the membership via email or post to the Facebook page.
Finance Committee: Ms. Ferguson reported that there has been little activity. Her report was emailed to the Board members.
Bylaws Committee: No report.
Membership Guidelines
The Board discussed age requirements for MABA membership. Ms. Overbey will look into guidelines from the Girl Scouts about membership, required paperwork, parental approval verbiage, and any issues with cash awards to minor members. Mr. Cridlin will check into the same requirements with regard to the 4H.
Adjournment
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m. The next Board of Directors meeting will be held on August 11.
Respectfully submitted, Lisa Dommes, Board Secretary
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes June 10, 2020
Comments Off on Board of Directors Meeting Minutes June 10, 2020Board Members Present
Amy Overbey President
Mark Kenney Vice President
Lisa Dommes Secretary
Meg Ferguson Treasurer
Ercole Chila
Chiles Cridlin
Chris Schriver
Bob Trudnak
Board Members Absent
Brant Williams
Others Present
Luke Darnell
Call to Order
Ms. Overbey called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m., noting the presence of a quorum.
Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes
Ms. Overbey moved to approve the minutes of the May 19, 2020 Board of Directors meeting as submitted. Mr. Cridlin seconded the motion and it carried unanimously (5-0-0).
President’s Report
Ms. Overbey deferred her President’s Report until more Board members join the meeting.
Membership Survey
Ms. Overbey reported that the information Mr. Schriver requested has been provided to him. He will provide a draft of the membership survey at the July meeting.
Team of the Year Rules Revision
Ms. Overbey noted that the revised Team of the Year rules have been finalized and will be posted to the website after this meeting.
*Mr. Chila and Mr. Trudnak arrived at 7:15.
Rookie Team of the Year Rules
The Board discussed the final edits to the Rookie Team of the Year Rules and the RToY online application. Ms. Overbey moved to approve the Rookie Team of the Year Rules as revised. Mr. Cridlin seconded the motion and it carried unanimously (7-0-0).
Ms. Overbey moved to approve the Rookie Team of the Year online application. Mr. Cridlin seconded the motion and it carried unanimously (7-0-0). Mr. Kenney will post the ToY Rules, RToY Rules, and the RToY online application to the website.
State Cups
The Board discussed designating State Cup contests for 2020. Decision was tabled to the July meeting in the hope that the schedule for the rest of the year will be clearer at that time.
*Ms. Ferguson arrived at 7:30.
President’s Report
Ms. Overbey opened discussion of the operations of committees and subcommittees in relation to the Board as outlined in the Bylaws. She stated that committees and subcommittees should be staffed by the Board, after a call for volunteers has been issued to the membership. A call for volunteers will be included in the upcoming newsletter. Discussion points on the relationship of the Board to committees and sub-committees will be posted to the Board Facebook group.
Committee Reports
Membership Committee: No report.
Backyard Subcommittee: Mr. Cridlin submitted minutes of the first Backyard Subcommittee meeting in advance of the Board meeting.
Communications Committee: Ms. Dommes reported that she worked with Janet from National Barbecue News to update the membership database and contact information. The Saturday morning Virtual 9:22 Shot continues to attract members each weekend, although it is not an official MABA event. Minutes are being posted to the website after approval at the following meeting. A draft newsletter was circulated to the Board for input. Ms. Overbey suggested posting it to the Board Facebook group and Google Docs drive to collect input. Edits will be collected until Friday, June 19. The final version will be circulated via the Facebook group for final revisions. It will be sent to the membership on Monday, June 22.
*Mr. Cridlin left the meeting at 8:00.
Website Committee: Mr. Kenney will post updated information to the site as well as the RToY application.
Finance Committee: Ms. Ferguson reported that the check from the Butcher Shoppe for the points chase has been deposited. All recurring accounts have been updated with the new credit card information.
Bylaws Committee: No report.
Adjournment
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m. The next Board of Directors meeting will be held on July 14.
Respectfully submitted,
Lisa Dommes, Board Secretary
York County BBQ Festival – Delta, PA
Comments Off on York County BBQ Festival – Delta, PABy Chiles Cridlin, MABA Board Member, Pit Master of Wolf’s Revenge BBQ
In the sleepy little town of Delta, Pennsylvania, 53 master series teams and 21 backyard teams assembled for a KCBS sanctioned BBQ contest! For most, this was the first opportunity to cook for the calendar year. Ken Jensen and team have always gone to great lengths to make this an incredibly hospitable event for the cook teams and judges, and you can imagine all the extra work that went into this 2020 event given all the restrictions and precautions required from the COVID pandemic. I say CHEERS to Ken and team for doing what was necessary to host a safe and successful contest.
Friday’s load in was a little tight given all the teams and the layout, I personally witnessed some amazing parking skills by teams that arrived after noon on Friday and still managed to perfectly park their rigs without issue. Power was a little spotty in the beginning as they struggled to balance the load on the ample generators but by mid-afternoon on Friday, all was well. For those of you who do not understand what it takes to run temporary power for a contest, imagine planning a meal and you don’t know who is coming or how much they are going to eat. It takes some juggling but in the end, it seemed to all work out. Kudos to the power guy who stayed to address concerns. Public Port-O-Johns were few and far between so next year consider renting one as rentals were readily available (the gymnasium was closed at night).
The Kids Que had a handful of participants and I was all smiles to see that Colton Schriver from Brother-Uncle Barbecue walked for first place with his Philly Cheese Steak slider! (Where was my sample?) Congratulations to all the kids who entered, and to the parents who support them and encourage their kids to cook.
The SCA steak contest had more than 40 participants and David Paulini with Pullin My Money Muscle took home the golden ticket. What I would have given to taste that steak because mine was (I thought) really good but not near good enough. Congratulations to those that got calls.
On Saturday morning, Harco Loco BBQ had their sponsor show up and set up a nice presentation for the 9:22 Toast. After the socially distanced greetings, the comradery and the toast, the gloves were off, or shall I say stayed on because of new safety requirements… Either way, the competition was fierce! I would consider this an unusually high scoring contest for the North East, with the top 5 teams all in the 690’s and within 4 points of each other. Chicken turn ins were a little slow as all the extra precautions for judge seating and turn ins were still being ironed out but things seemed to pick up from there, and the judges seemed very satisfied with all the extra precautions for health safety.
For KCBS backyard, D’Qued Barbeque took first place and MRC Barbecue took second in chicken. There was a little more distance between them (4 points) but the top 4 teams for chicken all had scores in the 170’s. As for ribs, House of Hawg BBQ took first place with a 174 and Butchie’s Backyard BBQ took second with a 170. The overall Backyard GC was D’Qued Barbeque, and House of Hawg BBQ took Reserve Grand. You all pay attention to these names because I see future Master Series contenders coming from this crowd.
Everyone loves a Cinderella story! Did you know that just days prior to this contest our own MABA member Hank had hip replacement surgery? Talk about being tough, Hank must have gotten right out of the hospital and decided to cook a BBQ contest as part of his rehabilitation! That alone is noteworthy for the contest, but then imagine his surprise when it was announced that Weekend Smokers took the Grand Championship (their third ever according to BBQData.com) in a very stout crowd. Their 2nd place in ribs (178) and second place in brisket (179) along with two other better than mid-field finishes were enough to push them in front of the pack and way less than a point ahead of the Reserve!
Our friends at Smokecraft – MD did an amazing job with their pork (176) and got a 9th place call in ribs. I am guessing they were a bit more than surprised to hear their name for Reserve Grand! This is what happens when you are consistent. With their chicken and brisket in the “teens” they kept their pace and almost won the contest. Keep up the good work fellas and keep your eyes on Syd with Good Googly Goo. If he starts cooking the rest of his categories like he did chicken (1st place) and ribs (third place) this past weekend, and we know he can, we are all in BIG trouble!
