BBQ and Bluegrass Bash

Sarasota, FL      High:  85     Low:   67

Sounds like a great combination, doesn't it?  Lots of BBQ, chicken, ribs, pork, and brisket. Fifty championship BBQ teams.  Let's offer $15,000 in cash prizes. Let's throw in a chili cook off even though it's HOT, HOT, HOT! Thirty different chili teams! How about a dessert bake off, to determine who has the best desserts in Southwest Florida? Let's have some bagpipes. And let's hear some bluegrass! Entertainment by the 2012 Recipients of the International Bluegrass Music Association for the best instrumental group, the best banjo player, and the best mandolin player, THE BOXCARS. And everything except for the food is FREE! Woo-hoo! It's the 4th Annual Suncoast BBQ Bash!  It had a little bit of everything.. Outdoor living booths, community corner, where Venice's businesses are offering products and services.... Muscle cars....

Cloggers.....

Crazy vendor stands.....Seriously, this is one crazy lady...Crazy like a fox! Or a bison head! Lots of folks checking out this stand....

You like your chili spicy hot? Sparky says, NOT! But she sampled some great chili that wasn't so spicy with four kinds of meat, and four kinds of beans today..(I'm gonna make sure I batten down the covers tonight! laughs E.)..Eldy's stomach doesn't always handle greasy or spicy food, so he passed on the some of the more tantailizing deep fat fried food, like the Oreos, and amazingly, Sparky did, too! Everything deep fat fried...Ugh!  Or...  Yum! Depending on your opinion and dietary preferences....

But Eldy did try some chili....so-so....he said....It was hot enough to make him sweat! The weather, that is.....

Lots and LOTS of BBQ choices....looked like some award winning stuff at the different stands...pulled pork, ribs of all kinds, and southern food to go with it. They even had gator tail....Sparky eyed the deep fried key lime cheesecake, but was a good girl and passed on it....

After Sparky saw this, she kinda lost her appetite for anything pork.....

How about this name for a BBQ joint?

They had a cornhole tournament going on, officially sanctioned by the American Cornhole Association. Bet you never knew there was one! We didn't!...Thought that was mainly an Indiana "Hoosier" thing! But here it is in Venice, FL. This guy is pretty confident of his skills at corn hole. If you haven't seen this game, it's just throwing beanbags at a slanted wooden stand with holes in it. Not much to it, but it's fun.

Everything related to grilling and BBQ was there...Grills....smokers, etc., and rigs devoted to the topic.

The sheriff's department was there with some robot demonstrations...

We ate, we wandered, we watched a little entertainment, and then we headed home.....Another nice day in Paradise!