The Decatur Barbecue came about as a result of a small band of businessmen and residents dedicated to the revitalization of the town at a time when Decatur was on the brink of vanishing off the map and into history.
When the first chicken plant in Decatur decided to move south, much of the town went with it. Decatur was on the verge of extinction. But a handful of businessmen and civic leaders, calling themselves the Decatur Development Committee, devised a plan to save Decatur. But in order for their plan to work, the remaining residents of Decatur would have to come together in a selfless act of civic duty to save their town.
Knowing these were men of their word, the residents decided to stand behind them and pledge their support to the Decatur Development Committee. Gradually the city began to grow, getting its first bank in 1951. Then a year later, Lloyd Peterson reopened the chicken plant, rehiring all the unemployed workers that the previous owners had put out onto the streets.
And in 1953, a truly remarkable event occurred, one that would forever change Decatur and ensure a bright future for its citizens. Look Magazine, a popular national publication, was searching for the best small towns in America, and one of the categories was for towns with a population of less than 1,000.
After receiving an application form from one of the members of the Decatur Development Committee, Look came to Decatur as part of its judging process. Shortly thereafter, Decatur won Look Magazine's award for the best small town with a population less than 1,000. From that point on, the city of Decatur was never threatened with death again.
Because of the dedication, love and sacrifice the residents displayed for the city of Decatur, the development committee decided to reward them with a picnic. Not just any old picnic, but one the likes of which Northwest Arkansas had never seen.
The Decatur Development Committee, which became the Decatur Chamber of Commerce in 1953, was tasked with putting together this little celebration. After several weeks of discussion, the chamber decided that the celebration needed three basic ingredients to work: good food, entertainment and a beauty contest.
The first element was easy since Decatur's primary industry was poultry. A small group of craftsmanship began building a huge barbecue pit at City Park. Once completed, the chamber solicited townspeople willing to work all night to barbecue chicken halves. Around 50 area residents volunteered for the task.
The group began the barbecuing process about 5 p.m. the day before and, working through the night, prepared 3,400 chicken halves for the first Decatur Barbecue.
While the chicken was cooking, a small band of volunteers, beginning at 5 a.m. the day of the event, barbecued beans over an open fire at one end of the pit. More than 50 gallons of beans were readied. A local baker prepared enough bread for the 3,400 boxed chicken diners.
One group cannot be forgotten in this account, the assemblers. The morning of the barbecue around 100 townspeople, many of them performing double duty, volunteered to assemble the chicken, baked beans and bread in disposable boxes.
And, dinner was served!
That first year, more than 3,4oo attended, not only from Arkansas, but from Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas as well.
In the 1960s, the Decatur Chamber began to charge for the box lunches -- the cost was a mere 50 cents. Eventually that cost would rise to 75 cents, then $1, then to the present $2.50.
And every year the attendance kept rising. In 1961, 4,500 visitors flooded city park. In 1973, when it was decided to change music venues, more than 14,000 attended the 20th anniversary celebration.
Last year, because of the rain in the morning, the estimated crowd count was around 3,000, closer to that of the event 60 years earlier.
With the food element in place, the Decatur Chamber turned to the entertainment.
After an exhausting search, the chamber found Leon McAuliffe and his Cimarron Boys. Their unique brand of country music would earn them top billing for the next 19 years at the Decatur Barbecue.
In 1973, Pat Austin, a longtime resident of Decatur, was asked by the chamber to chair the newly formed Decatur Barbecue Entertainment committee, a job she reluctantly accepted.
It was decided to turn to the Nashville scene for the event and Austin eventually made a monumental deal that would bring one of the top country legends, Hank Thompson, to Decatur.
In a site that "you had to be there to believe," Decatur's old City Park was filled to over capacity. People were standing on the tennis and basketball courts to get a glimpse of Thompson and hear him live. This event set the highest attendance record for the Decatur Barbecue, a feat yet to be broken.
In 1979, the Decatur Barbecue concert attendees were given a break of sorts from the country scene. Tommy Overstreet was the featured performer that year. After he completed his concert, a shiny silver ball was lowered over the stage. As it began to spin in the breeze, a series of different colored flood lights where pointed at the silvery orb. For about an hour, the residents of Decatur were treated to a disco dance, complete with songs from Andy Gibb and the Bee Gees. This was the only time this genre of music was ever a part of the Decatur Barbecue.
In the first 27 years of the Barbecue, eight performers graced the stage at City Park. Beside McAuliffe (1953-72) and Thompson (1973), Tommy Cash (1974), Wanda Jackson (1975), Stonewall Jackson (1976), Freddie Weller (1977), Tommy Cash (1978 and the 25th anniversary), and Tommy Overstreet (1979) entertained the masses assembled at Decatur's City Park. Because of the success of his 1973 appearance, Hank Thompson gave a command performance in 1980.
This year the chamber is bringing two remarkable Arkansas bands to the Decatur Barbecue. Backyard Anthem will be the featured band for the 2014 event. Opening for Backyard Anthem will be the ShotGunBillys. Both bands bring to the stage their unique style of country music, continuing the tradition of excellent entertainment to reward the citizens of Decatur.
The final element in the Decatur Chamber plan was a beauty pageant. Once again a committee of local residents began researching the process of organizing a beauty contest. Once the study was complete, application forms were put together and mailed to all the area schools and chambers of commerce. A flood of forms from all over the area flowed in to the chamber office. Applications were received from Springdale, Rogers, Fayetteville, Gravette, Gentry, Siloam Springs and Decatur.
The first Miss Decatur Barbecue Pageant took place in 1953. Janet Montgomery was Miss Decatur Barbecue in 1954. In the years that followed, only six Decatur girls have won the title of Miss Decatur Barbecue. One of the six was the 2003 Miss Decatur Barbecue, Kelsey McClain, who along with fellow Miss Decatur Barbecue, Leslie Lentz, are the present pageant organizers.
In 2013, Hailey House of Gravette, Miss Decatur Barbecue 2012, turned her title over to Suzie Sikes, the daughter of Rusty and Carla Sikes of Gentry. Suzie is a third-year senior at the University of Arkansas, pursuing a degree in poultry science with a minor in agriculture business. Suzie is a member of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority. She is currently living in Rwanda, Africa, as an intern for Cobb-Vantress. Suzie is a 2012 graduate of Gentry High School. And, on Aug. 2, she will turn her crown over to a new Miss Decatur Barbecue.
The new Miss Decatur BBQ will receive a $500 scholarship. First runner up receives $150 in scholarship money and second runner up receives $100 in scholarship money. Every contestant will receives an awesome goody bag.
The Decatur Chamber of Commerce decided that one beauty contest was not enough. They decided to hold another type of contest, a contest for the very young -- a contest to make moms and dads proud. And they called it the Tiny Tots contest.
The contest was opened to boys and girls, ages 4 to 6. Some of the early winners from the '70s include Shonda Capps and Lance Knox, Kelsie Kelly and Scott Triutt, and Tina Harris and Bill Matlock.
The Tiny Tots contest, like the barbecued chicken, country music concerts and Miss Decatur Barbecue, has been a part of the Decatur Barbecue from the beginning in 1953.
This year's Tiny Tots contest will be held at 7 p.m. on stage in Veterans Park. The participants in the contest must be able to attend a rehearsal at Veterans Park from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday. They are also required to ride in the Decatur Barbecue Parade scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at City Park on Second Street.
It is hard to conceive the numbers of chicken dinners that have been served in the 61 years of the Decatur Barbecue. It is quite possible that at lease 250,000 chicken halves may have been barbecued and served up with beans and bread since the event's beginning in 1953.
It is also possible that more than a half million residents and visitors have attended this event in that 61-year time span. And that is 498,000 visitors who may not have known much of Decatur had it not been for the Barbecue.
General News on 07/30/2014