Photo provided Hope’s Smoke on the Square will be May 16 and May 17.
HOPE — Hope’s town square will soon be filled with the savory smells of grill smoke and barbecue as the annual Smoke on the Square returns for its 14th year. Hosted by the Community Center of Hope, competitors will have to bring out their best barbecuing skills in the hopes of taking home a trophy and bragging rights.
The competition will see multiple teams of two to four or five members participating in different categories including beef, chicken, pork ribs and pulled pork, in addition to sauce and dessert. Whether a novice or an advanced competitor, anyone regardless of their barbecuing skills can participate, Smoke on the Square founder Jeff Yarnell said.
Smoke on the Square will take place on May 16 and May 17 at the Hope Town Square. Registration for Smoke on the Square can be found at hopebbqcontest.com. Registration to compete in the meat categories costs $75 while the sauce and dessert categories cost $5.
“It’s a backyard competition, but we’ve had some guys compete that are on very high levels that eventually transfer over to the professional side of it and usually they quit competing at that time,” Yarnell said. “So every year, actually I think all 14 years, we’ve had a new competitor at least every year, if not a couple sometimes. We actually have a competitor for the last five years that comes from California to enter it, he plans his vacation around it.”
Meats will be judged based on taste, flavor, texture and tenderness, according to the sign-up sheet. The judging panel is led by former barbecue restaurant owner Tom Cuneo in addition to a few Kansas City Barbeque Society certified judges. Yarnell said it is the level of effort they put into judging that sets their competition apart from others and the teams always having high confidence in the event’s outcome.
The top 10 contestants in the meat categories will receive ribbons while the top three contestants will receive trophies and cash prizes, according to the sign-up sheet. A Grand Champion award and a Reserve Grand Champion award will also be given out, but in order to be eligible for these, someone would have to compete in all six categories, Yarnell said. Contestants can compete in one, a few or all of the categories.
Smoke on the Square still has plenty to offer for those who may not be interested in competing. Three bands will be providing live music throughout the weekend, and multiple vendors will be set up offering items including funnel cakes, novelty toys, homemade jewelry and much more, according to Community Center of Hope Executive Director Chelsea Warriner.
All proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the Community Center of Hope and their many community services. These include early learning education programs, holiday angel trees, school supply distribution and their food pantry, which Warriner said now covers the entire state.
“It’ll help us continue those programs,” Warriner said.
Yarnell said this year’s Smoke on the Square has come together well and they are coming in with more sponsorship money than they ever had. He said competitors can look forward to that confidence in how the judging is conducted, and new teams can especially look forward to meeting new people.
“I know they’ll be looking forward to the weather, it’s supposed to be 80 and nice out so they’re going to love that,” Yarnell said. “There’s so many people that just brag on the Hope Town Square and how it’s set up and how good everything is and accessible right here, so they’re just going to look forward to a good time and a trustworthy competition and hopefully some trophies.”
On-site set up begins at 12 p.m. on May 16 and judging for all categories will begin at 2:30 p.m. Food will be served by the Community Center of Hope in the shelter house from 4 to 9 p.m. on May 16 and from 11 a.m. until they sell out on May 17. The event is free to attend aside from the vendors and the food line.
