Backyard BBQ Bonanza at the Pope Couty Fair

Backyard BBQ Bonanza

Friday, July 31, 2026
5:30-10:00PM (Rain or Shine)
Pope County Fair Grandstand Event

Gates Open 5:30PM
BBQ Judging 5:30PM
Live Music 6-10PM

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Public Tasting Starts at 6:30PM

Beer Garden

Admission:
$30 ADULTS - INCLUDES 5 FOOD TICKETS + ENTRY IN DRAWING FOR 1/2 HOG
$10 KIDS - 12 & UNDER INCLUDES 3 FOOD TICKETS

1 FOOD TICKET = 1 RIB OR 1 DRUMSTICK

Come hungry and vote for The People's Choice!

Advance Ticket Sales (Coming Soon)

BBQ Cookoff Team Rules (Registration Now Open)

Live Music

Dana Robinson and the Bottlerockets

Start your night with the rock and country favorites played by Dana Robinson and the Bottle Rockets, local crowd favorites.

Headliner: William Elliott Whitmore

Born and raised on a small farm in Lee County Iowa, a love of the land has always been an important part of William Elliott Whitmore’s life. An appreciation for nature and its cycles being taught from an early age. That awareness of birth and death is a constant theme in the songwriting, through a lens of hopefulness and acceptance. These things unify us as people, a theme that is often explored in the music. With a banjo, guitar and kick drum, Whitmore seeks to convey these ideas.

For over twenty years he has traveled the world, performing everywhere from Rome, Italy to Rome, Georgia. He’s played basements, backyards, festival stages, and Carnegie Hall, and has no plans to stop anytime soon. “Life is hard, nasty, and unforgiving at times”, Whitmore says, “but it’s beautiful too, and music can be a reminder of what we all have in common, a desire to keep putting one foot in front of the other.”

BBQ Cookoff Teams Rules

Everything you need to know.

Friday, July 31 | A Pope County Fair Grandstand Event

Entry fee: $200 per team (up to 16 teams)

Baby back ribs (10 racks) & chicken drumsticks (100 drumsticks; 3-4 per pound)

Registration closes Friday, July 10

Thursday, July 30

Setup: 6-8pm

Friday, July 31

Setup: Starting at 7am

Cooks meeting: 9:30am

Judging

Rib turn-in: 5:30pm

Drumstick turn-in: 6:00pm

• MN BBQ Society scoring

• $3000 Purse - Payout to 5th place ($1000, $750, $500, $250, $100) and People's Choice ($250, $150)

• Trophies for each category, overall, and People's Choice

Public Tasting

Starts at 6:30pm

And rules you need to know.

All seasoning and cooking shall be done within the designated 15' x 20' cooking space. Teams shall not share cooking space or cooking devices.
Contestants shall provide all necessary equipment, supplies, electricity, and fire extinguisher. There is city water available on site. Drive through setup.
It is the responsibility of the contestant to see that the team's cooking space is clean and orderly following the contest.
Fires shall be of wood, wood pellets, or charcoal. No open pits.
No garnishes.
Sauce is optional. If used, sauce shall be applied directly to the meat and not be pooled or puddled in the container. No side sauce containers. Chunky sauce allowed, no larger than a fine dice. Sauce violations shall receive a penalty score of one (1) on appearance.
Entries shall be submitted in an approved numbered container provided by the organizer. The container shall not be marked in any way to make it unique or identifiable.
Each contestant must submit at least six bone-in portions for both categories in the approved container.
The following cleanliness and safety rules will apply:
a. No use of any tobacco products while handling meat.
b. Cleanliness of the cook, assistant cooks, cooking device(s) and the team's assigned cooking space is required.
c. Shirt and shoes are required to be worn.
d. Sanitizing of work area should be implemented with the use of a bleach/water rinse (one cap/gallon of water). Each contestant will provide a separate container for washing, rinsing and sanitizing of utensils.
e. Prior to cooking, meat must be maintained at 40° F or less.
f. After cooking, all meat: Must be held at 140° F or above
g. A fire extinguisher shall be near all cooking devices.
Causes for disqualification & eviction of a team, its members and/or guests. Eviction will be done at the discretion of the organizer as promptly as safety allows. A cook team is responsible jointly and severally for its head cook, its team members and its guests.
a. Excessive use of alcoholic beverages or public intoxication with a disturbance. No outside alcohol allowed.
b. Serving alcoholic beverages to the general public.
c. Use of illegal controlled substances.
d. Foul, abusive, or unacceptable language or any language causing a disturbance.
e. Excessive noise, including but not limited to that generated from speakers, such as radios, CD players, TVs, public address systems or amplifying equipment.
f. Fighting and/or disorderly conduct.
g. Theft, dishonesty, cheating, use of prohibited meats, or any act involving moral turpitude.