Everyone had a great time at the
Unruly Country Brew N Que Festival in Sonora, CA last Saturday, September 30. Held at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds, the main draw of this event was a country music festival featuring
Luke Combs,
Tucker Beathard,
Luke Pell,
Jackson Michelson, and
Chris Bandi. To keep folks entertained beyond the music, there was a bull riding competition, a cornhole tournament, line dancing, a kids zone, vended barbecue, beer and wine, and of course the KCBS sanctioned barbecue contest where I served as a judge, featuring 30 pro teams from all over California and Nevada.
You couldn't have asked for better fall weather...the denim shorts and cowboy boots were out in full force...many locals commented on how enjoyable it was to have an event like this happening in Sonora...the BBQ competitors and judges I talked to were really positive about the event and were already looking forward to returning next year. Congrats to event organizer
Trado Restaurant Corp. and especially to BBQ contest organizer
Robert Stouffer of
SoCal BBQ Event Management for doing such a great job!
In retrospect, this event was bittersweet for a couple of reasons. First, it was the last KCBS contest in Northern California for 2017, so it's the last time we'll see many of our barbecue friends until Spring 2018. And of course, the Unruly Country Festival took place the night before the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, so it hits close to home given the similarity of the two events. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by that tragedy.
Here are a bunch of pics from the event, I hope you enjoy them.
Continued...