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Bands & BBQ at the Point

Carrollton, Ky., barbecue contest becoming a hot ticket

Schuetzes of Charlestown, Ind., enjoy judging contest



CARROLLTON, Ky. (September 2015)  – For Kent and Rachel Schuetz, barbecue has become more than a hobby. As competitors, judges and representatives for the Kansas City Barbeque Society, they have seen (and tasted) it all.
For the last eight years, the Schuetzes have been members of and active participants in many Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned events. “We do some judging but not as much as we used to do,” said Kent Schuetz. They have both moved into more of a representative role.
In their work with KCBS, they have traveled to Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. “Competing or judging is how most get started,” said Schuetz, who lives in Charlestown, Ind.
He originally started out competing. His father, Wayne Schuetz, discovered the KCBS and wanted to take classes. Schuetz went along for a one-day class but said it was his “father’s thing.” The class was given over Father’s Day weekend, and they decided it was something they could do together.
Eventually, his father decided to hang it up, but Schuetz and his wife, who is from southern California, got pretty heavily involved with their team, Continental BBQ Co. In addition to doing a lot of judging, Schuetz said that many times “I competed against my father.”
They are often contacted by the KCBS to officiate events. Indiana has two sets of representatives, and there are none in Kentucky, he said.
One of these upcoming events is the Bands & BBQ competition that will be held Sept. 11-12 at Point Park in Carrollton, Ky. There will be more than $9,000 awarded in cash prize money in the categories of chicken, ribs, pork and brisket. The Grand Champion receives $1,500 and the Reserve Champion (second place) $1,000.
“Carrollton is a fun contest. We look forward to it every year,” said Schuetz, who will be the KCBS-sanctioned representative for this event along with his wife. “It’s not the largest contest, but it’s not the smallest, either. Size doesn’t mean it’s a better contest. With the bigger ones, you don’t have as much time to socialize with everyone.”
With Bands & BBQ, “there are some highly respected and top-notch teams competing,” said Schuetz.
The competition used to be known as Blues to the Point, said Misty Wheeler, director of Carrollton-Carroll County Tourism. “The name changed to Bands & BBQ, and it became a KCBS-sanctioned event.” This is Wheeler’s second year helping promote Bands & BBQ at the Point.
“There will be barbecue vendors where you can buy barbecue,” she said. This event is free, and there will also be inflatables for kids and Rockin’ Thunder Jet Boat rides on the river.
Last year’s overall winner was Blue Chip BBQ from Louisville, Ky. They recently placed 16th in chicken at the Madison Ribberfest, 23rd in ribs, 52nd in pork, fourth in brisket and were 21st overall out of 64 teams. Last year’s second place went to Yellow River BBQ from Plymouth, Ind.
In addition to great barbecue, there will be “a mix of music. Something for everyone,” said Wheeler. Bands will play on Friday from 6-11 p.m. and on Saturday from 11 a.m. until midnight.
Friday’s musical lineup kicks off at 6 p.m. with hometown band, The Louden Mundane Band. They will be followed at 8 p.m. by Country Wide, a band from Corbin, Ky., whose repertoire includes country, classic rock and original country music.
Music resumes on Saturday at 11 a.m. with country performer Will Wallace, followed at noon by Nobody’z Bizzness. The latter band plays R&B, blues and Motown and is made up of seasoned musicians from the Louisville area.
From 2-4 p.m., the Jordan Wilson Trio will perform classic rock and blues. This group is from Carrollton. There will be a break in the music at 4 p.m. as awards are presented.
Music will continue with Van Waylon from 5-7 p.m. From Taylorsville, Ky., this band plays southern rock and country rock. At 7 p.m. Josh London from Hiseville, Ky will take the stage, performing country music.
Sparechange Millionaires, the returning Saturday night headliner from 2014, will finish off the entertainment from 9 p.m. to midnight. Based in Louisville, this band plays rock ‘n roll, blues, funk and alternative music. 

• Space is still available for barbecue competitors. For more information, contact Carroll County Tourism at (502) 732-7036 or visit: www.visitcarrolltonky.org.

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