World Championship Barbeque Cooking Contest

Every year Memphis throws a big party - Memphis in May. The first weekend is the three day Beale Street Music Festival (or should I say Mud Festival, since it ALWAYS rains that weekend). The fourth weekend is the Sunset Symphony where they play on a stage at the river and people come with their picnics to listen to the music and enjoy the fireworks. But by far the craziest weekend is Barbeque Weekend.



Some of the team names:
Greaseland Porkers * Notorious P.I.G. * Pork Illustrated *
Wasted "n" Basted * Three Pigs to the Wind * Four Pork Harmony *
Adribbers * Aporkalyps Now * Barefoot in the Pork *




When we first went years ago, we walked around and saw the crazy booths and smelled the good smells, and watched everyone having a party, but since each party is private we could only watch. This year we knew 4 people who had booths and were invited to stop by each. So we got to party and eat great barbeque. Here's Tim, Armando and Margie at the Rebel Roaster Revue booth - they came in 6th in the shoulder contest. They have winners in three categories: ribs, shoulder and whole hog. From those three winners they select the grand champion.





Oinking on the River * Pork Fiction * Rib Ticklers * Serial Grillers *
South Pork * Swine-o-mite * Swinebucks *



It's billed as the World Championship Contest - 240 teams competing for big prize money and bragging rights - there were teams from Denmark and Norway to make it truly international. But most of the teams are from Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas with a few from Georgia, Alabama, N.Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin and Indiana. Texas thinks real barbeque is beef, and Kansas City seems to think they are the #1 Barbeque capital in the US but we know better.

This booth belongs to Sow Luau. Every year they add a new head.



Any Pork in a Storm * The Hogfather * Holy Sow *
Not Ready for Swine Time Porkers * Parrothead Porkers of Hogaritaville *
Pit and the Pigulum * The Ques Brothers *










On Thursday at 5:30 they have the "Official Lighting of the Grill" - sort of like the Olympic Torch I suppose, but more like NASCAR -"Ladies and Gentlemen, light your fires!" They have the Miss Piggie Idol Contest - mostly guys dressed in pig noses and tutus. Friday night on the stage we watcged Ralph Stanley & Clinch Mountain perform - an OLD bluegrass band. If you saw "O Brother Where Art Thou?" it was that kind of bluegrass - in fact Ralph Stanley is featured singing in that movie.



Every year Memphis in May picks a country to honor. This year was Chile. We saw lots of Easter Island heads at booths. Some of them had pig noses.



We got invited to one party where they had a three story space. We went up to the top and got some great photos.



See the houses in the background up on the bluff? Cybill Shepperd has a house up there overlooking the river. What a view, but I'll bet they get no sleep during Music Festival or Barbeque Weekends.







Armando's cousin Magda and her husband Pepe are here visiting from Peru and they got to enjoy the 'Que experience with us. Pepe is the photographer for this blog entry.



Great food, great fun, great silliness.

Flocked!

A few days ago I woke up to discover that a flock of flamingos had landed in my yard! And not just any flamingos, but dressed up ones! Wearing leis and Mardi Gras beads!



Don't you think they go well with my azaleas? I thought they looked pretty cool, but couldn't really think who would put them there or why. And then I read the note. It seems that a woman named Millie McAllister is going to participate in the three day Walking for a Cure in San Francisco in the fall, and is trying to raise money. So she sent this flock of flamingos flying away, they land in your yard and stay two days, and then you get to decide where they fly off to next. What a great fund raising idea! I might not have donated if she had just asked for money, but the flamingos were so much fun, and then I got to send them to someone else, so I just had to send a donation.

The Girlfriends

Every year I get together with four crazy friends from high school. This spring it was my turn to be the hostess. Sue couldn't come so they brought a rabbit as a stand-in. Since it was Easter week, our craft was coloring Easter eggs. They turned out pretty neat, even though Mary complained the whole time that she hates coloring eggs.

Here we are at the theater with our bunny ears. Except Mary, she had to be different and wear lamb's ears. Notice the tasteful necklace I am wearing! Not only was it beautiful, the eggs flashed!


Not only did they bring me a special necklace though, they brought me this:


Here we are antiquing....


On Beale Street....



In front of the National Civil Rights Museum...



Since it was Easter Week, our craft was coloring Easter eggs, and I thought they turned out beautiful, even though Mary complained the whole time about how much she hated to color eggs.


Here we are trying on silly hats at A.Schwab's General Store on Beale Street.



And we decided to try some Asian Bubble Tea - we all decided after trying it that it was pretty silly.