BBQ Festival To Bring People To Jonesboro

An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people are expected not only to cook and eat barbecue Saturday but also to spend a little extra money at businesses and restaurants in Jonesboro.

The 5th annual Downtown Jonesboro BBQ and Music Fest will bring at least 50 teams to Jonesboro, event coordinator Tim McCall said.

The teams, traveling from as far away as Washington State, will participate in a Kansas City Barbecue Society event that serves as the Arkansas State Championship.

The society also brings between 40 and 50 judges to Jonesboro to help decide the winner, McCall said.

McCall, who is also on the Jonesboro City Council, said the event started as part of the 150th anniversary of Craighead County.

The event then grew, McCall said.

“As a barbecue contest, it is something you do pretty easily,” McCall said, noting the Jonesboro Advertising and Promotions Commission later took on the contest as a local event.

Everything about the event is free including the music for the weekend.

Country music artist Easton Corbin will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, with several other artists and groups performing as well.

ECONOMIC IMPACT
Barbara Penrod, the bar manager at Godsey’s Grill in Jonesboro, said they are expecting a large crowd Saturday.

The restaurant, a longtime fixture in downtown Jonesboro, is one of several restaurants that will be open Saturday.

The restaurant was busy last week, with last Saturday’s ASU football game against Utah State, and is expected to be the first Saturday in October with the Blessed Sacrament Fall Festival and the ASU homecoming game against Louisiana-Monroe, Penrod said.

“It is really great. Downtown Jonesboro is such a cool place. The restaurants and shops here are so unique,” Penrod said.

McCall said the event helps with the area economy as well.

“As for economic development, we have people from Jonesboro, Batesville and Paragould who come here. They eat our food, buy our gas and stay at our hotels,” McCall said.

SCHEDULE
Here is a list of events for Saturday’s festival:

Central Dealership Stage
· 1:30 p.m. – Zach Williams Band.
· 3:30 p.m. – The Brewers.
· 5 p.m. – BBQ awards given out.
· 6 p.m. – Ken Yarbrough and Callie MaRae.
· 8 p.m. – Easton Corbin.

Skinny J’s Stage
· 12 p.m. – Wolf Pack Band.
· 2 p.m. – Wow House.
· 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. – Granite.
· 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. – Arkansas Brothers.

There will also be professional wrestling from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the festival.