58th Annual Decatur Barbecue to be held Saturday, Aug. 6

NEW DAY PROMISES TO BE BUSIER THAN WHEN HELD ON FRIDAYS

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

— With everything from a Fun Run to entertainment by Grammy Award-winning country music artist Marty Stuart, the 58th Annual Decatur Barbecue Aug. 6 will be a day packed with plenty of summer fun for the whole family.

Children’s games, a car show, parade and a hometown beauty pageant are just some of the activities planned by the Decatur Chamber of Commerce.

The Decatur Barbecue, which began as a Peterson Farms Company picnic in 1953, is grounded in tradition but is also evolving to meet the changing needs of the community.

The Barbecue will be held on a Saturday this year - forthe first time ever - to allow more community members who work during the week to be involved in the day’s activities.

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Decatur Barbecue pageants will begin at 7 p.m. on the stage in Veterans Park.

Last year, the Barbecue and Bulldog Days were held back-to-back on a Friday and Saturday, the first weekend in August, and proved there was more participation in events like the Fun Run and car show on Saturday than for the Friday activities.

The Chamber of Commerce is also increasing the selection of food it will be offering this year. In addition to traditional barbecued chicken dinners, attendees will also be able to choose from hamburgers and hot dogs.

As always, all the day’s events will be free, but parking will cost $3 per vehicle. So bring your walking shoes and your lawn chair down to Veterans Park for a day full of activities and entertainment.

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SCHEDULE

Following is a schedule of events for the Barbecue, Saturday, Aug. 6:

◊6:30 a.m. - Fun Run registration for the 10K, 5K and 2K races will begin at the Edmiston Ballfields. The race will start at 7 a.m. Decatur State Bank will be sponsoring cash prizes for winners this year. Entry fees are $10 in advance and $15 the day of the races. Entry forms are available at the Decatur State Bank website: www.decaturstatebank.net. For more information, call 752-3281.

◊All Day - Arts and crafts vendors will sell their wares in Veterans Park.

◊8:30 a.m. - Children’s games, including the frog-jumping contest and turtle-decorating contest, will be held in Veterans Park. For more information, please call 752-3912.

◊10 a.m. to 3 p.m. - Car Show in Veterans Park. Registration is from 10 a.m.

to 12 p.m. Entry fees are $10 the day of the show. Prizes will be awarded to the “top 20” vehicles, and trophies will be awarded in the categories of Best Car of Show, Best Truck of Show and Judges Choice. For more information, call 549-2711.

◊10 a.m. - Chicken dinners, hamburgers and hot dogs will go on sale in Veterans Park until supplies run out.

There will not be any dinners for sale at the Decatur General Store this year.

◊10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. - TheOwen Gaines Band will perform on the stage in Veterans Park.

◊10:30 a.m. - Parade lineup will begin in the Old City Park.

◊11 a.m. - The parade will start and make its way down Main Street to Veterans Park.

◊12 p.m. to 2 p.m. - Daddy’s Caddy will perform on the stage in Veterans Park.

◊1 p.m. to 4 p.m. - No-Ark Wrestling will provide entertainment in Veterans Park.

◊2 p.m. to 3 p.m. - The Zumba Ladies dance group will perform on stage.

◊5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. - Gerald Edmondson will perform on stage.

◊7 p.m. - The casual portion of the Miss Decatur Barbecue contest will be judged on stage.

◊7:30 p.m. - The tiny-tot contest will be judged on stage.

◊8 p.m. - The formal portion of the Miss Decatur Barbecue Contest will be judged and a winner will be announced.

◊9:30 p.m. - Marty Stuart will take the stage.

For more information on the festival’s events, call 752-3912.

Community News, Pages 14 on 08/03/2011