March 29, 2024

SW Iowa Home and Garden Show features new Backyard BBQ contest

The Southwest Iowa Home and Garden Show to be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 8, at Southern Prairie YMCA will feature a new component.

Organizers wanted to do something new and different at the show this year and came up with the idea of the Backyard BBQ Competition.

Hy-Vee stepped up to sponsor the event and will provide the meat for competitors.

The competition includes three different categories – pork butt, beef brisket and ribs. Entry fee is $100 per team. Teams can enter as many or as few categories as they want for the single $100 entry fee.

Deadline for entries is March 17. Those interested in participating can contact Southern Prairie YMCA for entry forms or to have questions answered.

Entries will be judged by a five-judge panel. Teams can set up equipment anytime between 4 and 8 p.m. Friday, April 7, or wait until Saturday morning. A meeting for all participants is 8 a.m. Saturday, April 8.

Corning Rental, a member of Southwest Iowa Homebuilders Alliance, is donating use of generators to contestants for electrical needs.

“It’s more of a fun thing,” said Craig Mittag, member of the Southwest Iowa Homebuilders Alliance. “We had kind of thought about the big smoker contests they have to qualify for the state fair. We thought about that, but they had a lot of rules and things you had to abide by and get sanctioned judges. We wanted to include more local people so we just went with the Backyard BBQ Competition. So, if you want to smoke something, grill it, however you want to prepare it, just to include more local people since the home and garden show is a more local event.”

Mittag said 100 percent of the proceeds from the entry fees will be given directly back to contestants as prize money. Remaining meat not presented to judges will be collected and used at the concession stand at the Southwest Iowa Home and Garden Show.

Winners of the contest will be announced at noon Saturday, April 8, in the auditorium.

Meat will be available for pickup Friday, April 7, at Creston Hy-Vee.

“They’re going to get everybody’s bundles ready,” Mittag said. “They’ll have your packet ready to pick up the day before at Hy-Vee, so you can marinate, you can do whatever you need with it and start cooking it Friday night.”

The Southwest Iowa Home and Garden Show used to be held every other year, but was recently changed to a yearly event.

“The event itself is actually sponsored by Southwest Iowa Homebuilders Alliance and Southern Prairie YMCA,” Mittag said. “Hy-Vee has very generously kicked in the last few years. Last year, they paid for the speaker. This year, they’re going to pay for the speaker and the meat for the BBQ contest. And also SWCC, because we use some of their facilities in conjunction with the Y.”

Businesses related to home and garden can still sign up for booths at the show. Interested businesses can contact Southern Prairie YMCA.

Mittag also noted the hours of the show have changed slightly, since it is on the same day as Creston Community High School’s prom this year.