I was there, as I have been for the last 20 years. Most of my time was spent inside the Governor's Building working the Barbecue Sauce Store. We had a decent year, raising nearly $5,000 for charity, selling sauces donated by manufacturers from all over the country. Fellow Roadfooder CNW was on hand for the third year in a row, helping out, using his 'Que knowledge to move cases of sauce to the masses.
What little time I had outside revealed a gorgeous weekend; clear, deep blue skies and mild temps. The crowd was raucous, as usual, and in a good mood.
I didn't have many opportunities to consume the 'Que, as I was chained to the store. There's usually a good variety offered up in the Volunteer's Hospitality Booth. Leftovers from competitors who have sent in their entries are laid out to feed hungry volunteers. Not the case this year. The few samples that were sent in were mediocre at best. It was a sparse buffet this time around.
I did notice a higher than usual rate of drunkenness and lack of intelligence this year. As I rode the shuttle bus from the gates of Royal to the parking lot I noticed thousands of boozed up half-wits roaming the streets with a complete disregard for the cars, buses and trucks that were zipping past them. There are always revelers walking outside the fence, but they normally stay on the grass and out of the roadway. I'm amazed nobody was hit.
So, that's the news from The American Royal (the annual international Barbecue Cook-off held in Kansas City, MO). Next year come on out and join the madness!
Buddy
<message edited by BuddyRoadhouse on Thu, 10/6/11 2:57 AM>
