Team entries are still
being accepted for the Mercy Hospital Foundation’s “Oh, Mercy! BBQ
Challenge: Grillin’ & Goodwillin’” barbecue cooking event, scheduled for
May 2 and 3 in Independence.
Click
HERE to access
official entry information.
In addition, organizers have
announced the schedule of entertainment and activities for the event.
The festivities will kick off
at 7 p.m. Friday, May 2, at the Riverside Park oval with a DJ performance by
Tony Ysusi, who is scheduled to play music for all ages from a wide variety
of genres until 11 p.m. Also on Friday evening, the Independence Masonic
Lodge will offer a barbecue dinner for purchase, and the event beer garden
will be open for business.
On Saturday, public
activities commence at 10 a.m., with a live radio remote by KKOW 96.9 “The
Kow” until 1 p.m.
Public BBQ sampling and
voting in the “People’s Choice” contest will begin at approximately 11 a.m.
Tasting tickets will be provided for $5 per person (all ages), allowing each
person to sample the contestants’ barbecue and vote for their favorites.
Side dishes also will be provided, and the St. Andrew Catholic Youth
Organization will be on hand to serve ice cream and cobbler. The event beer
garden also will be open from 12 noon until 5 p.m.
At 1 p.m., entertainer
Chelsea Laswell will take the stage. Laswell, a native of Independence and a
regular Neewollah entertainer, specializes in acoustic pop music and has
performed professionally at shows, festivals and bookings throughout
southern Kansas and in the Lawrence-Kansas City area.
Immediately following
Laswell’s performance will be a concert by popular regional band “Longshot.”
Formed in 1998, Longshot specializes in a mix of country music and
rock-and-roll with an “upbeat attitude,” and has performed throughout the
four-state area. The band is composed of Skeeter Long, of Copan, Okla.,
performing lead/backing vocals and rhythm/lead guitar; Russell VanRoyan II,
of Cherryvale, on backing/lead vocals and bass guitar; Steve Tanner, of
Fredonia, on lead/rhythm guitar and backing/lead vocals; and Chuck Case, of
Newkirk, Okla., on drums.
Also scheduled for Saturday
is a U.S. Army Reserve Hummer exhibit, featuring an H3 Hummer equipped with
video game and amplified music capability.
Barbecue awards in both the
People’s Choice event and KCBS-judged contest will be presented
mid-afternoon, with all activities scheduled to conclude around 5 p.m.
Primary corporate sponsor for the BBQ event is
Crossland Construction Co., based in Columbus. Other corporate financial and
in-kind sponsors include: Community National Bank and Dr. Phil Eastep; First
Federal Savings & Loan; First National Bank; SCA, Inc.; Woods Lumber;
Quality Motors; CableOne; Independence Chamber of Commerce; Best Beverage
Sales; Kelley Enterprises; Parade Specialties; C&M Motors; Commerce Bank;
and the Mercy Hospital Auxiliary.
More information on the event is available
by calling the Mercy Foundation office at 620-332-3248 or 620-330-8237. |
