The most popular event of the year for the Bixby Community is May 9th & 10th. The barbeque competition, blues bands and thousands of attendees create two days of fun and family, all for charity that furthers community development.
Bixby, OK: On May 9th and 10th, Washington Irving Memorial Park will once again host the Bixby BBQ & Blues Festival. The festival is two days of the State’s best Barbeque and Blues music all rolled into one and is a community fundraiser created by the Rotary Club of Bixby.
Officially sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society and an official State of Oklahoma Barbeque Competition, the festival is truly the best barbeque competition in Oklahoma. Competitors from Kansas, Texas, Arkansas and all over Oklahoma flock to Bixby in hopes of winning the grand prize of $1500, amongst other awards and prizes.
This is great for those families and individuals attending the festival, as the famous “taster kits” can be purchased on Saturday for $5. Taster kits allow one to sample the food from every competitor at the event. On Saturday from 10:30a.m.- 1:30p.m, the public can sample the barbeque from the competing teams, while the supplies last. They can also vote for their favorite Team to win the People’s Choice Award.
There is also an area that is dedicated to kids. Jupiter Jump, Giant Slide, miniature horses, face painting and clowns are enough to keep all the kids happy and allow parents to enjoy the food and the music. Wrist bands for the kids area will be available for $10. In addition, David Berntson will be providing FREE harmonica lessons for the kids and the Blues Society of Tulsa will furnish FREE harmonicas.
"We hope everyone will come out to the Festival. In addition to helping the community, this is an opportunity for family fun, meeting new people, spending spring-time in our beautiful park - all while enjoying good music and delicious barbecue," said Fred Beasley, President, Bixby Rotary Club.
The Rotary Club of Bixby used funds from the 2003, 2004 and 2005 BBQ’n Blues Festivals to build the new Rotary Club of Bixby Amphitheater which is located in Washington Irving Memorial Park. Proceeds from previous Festivals enabled the Club to present Bixby Public Schools with a large electronic marquee sign, complete with a digitized message board. Located on Memorial Drive, the sign promotes school activities from PTA meetings to athletic events.
Volunteers are a huge contributor to the success of the event. "Every year, we are blown away by the support and numbers of individuals that dedicate their time to help us put this event on," stated Chip Seay, Past President of the Bixby Rotary Club. "It is great to know that our efforts to better serve the community are in turn supported greatly by our community." Anyone interested in volunteering to work at the Festival should contact Cheryl Steffins at (918) 394-1444. For more information about Bixby Rotary and the BBQ’n Blues Festival, visit the Rotary Club of Bixby’s website at www.bixbyrotary.com.
For PR/Media Information, you can contact Paul Ross at (918) 295-7989.
About the BBQ & Blues Festival: Built on a goal of raising funds to erect a digital sign for the Bixby Public Schools, a fledgling Bixby Rotary Club took on the mammoth task of creating a festival that in 2002 attracted 43 BBQ teams for competition and 8 blues bands to entertain. It was a huge success with almost $30,000 raised for the sign to be built (the one that is on Memorial, south of 131st.).
The 2006 festival had 9 blues bands and 59 BBQ teams, while the 2007 festival had 9 blues bands and 68 BBQ teams. 2006 and 2007 profits were chosen to help Bixby Community Outreach Center, as well as other Bixby Rotary projects that help serve the community.
About Bixby Rotary: The Rotary Club of Bixby is a part of the larger Rotary International. Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. In more than 160 countries worldwide, approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 30,000 Rotary clubs.
Rotary club membership presents a cross-section of the community's business and professional men and women. The world's Rotary clubs meet weekly and are nonpolitical, nonreligious, and open to all cultures, races, and creeds.
The main objective of Rotary is service - in the community, in the workplace, and throughout the world. Rotarians develop community service projects that address many of today's most critical issues, such as children at risk, poverty and hunger, the environment, illiteracy, and violence. They also support programs for youth, educational opportunities and international exchanges for students, teachers, and other professionals, and vocational and career development. The Rotary motto is Service Above Self.
Thank you to our event sponsors:
