5th Annual Horse Town Brew N' Que Festival, Norco CA


 

Chris Allingham

Administrator
Staff member
I was born in Riverside, California but had never visited the city next door, Norco, until I served as a Table Captain there yesterday, June 1, 2019, at the 5th Annual Horse Town Brew N' Que Festival.

You immediately know that something is different about Norco when you exit Interstate 15 and drive east on Sixth St. toward the festival venue. Wikipedia sums it up well:

According to city ordinances, the architecture of Norco "shall reflect a desired Western theme," including qualities "described as rural, informal, traditional, rustic, low-profile and equestrian oriented."

Don't be surprised by the Western-themed storefronts, horses being ridden on unpaved sidewalks, and crosswalk call buttons mounted at both pedestrian and horseback heights.

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The festival was held at the George Ingalls Equestrian Event Center and was organized by Debbie Yopp. Barbecue teams from as far away as Australia were sheltered inside a covered arena, while the food vendors and live music were arranged inside the covered Moreno Arena just a few steps away. This year at Norco there were 49 professional teams, 15 backyard teams, and 14 Kid's Q teams competing for cash and prizes.

Once again, congratulations go out to TVWBB member Jerry Aguilar of Burnin' and Lootin' BBQ. Norco was Jerry's 7th Grand Champion win of the year, which gets him an automatic entry to the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue in October 2019. Way to go, Jerry! And congrats to Team Woodshed for taking Reserve Champion.

Here are more photos from the event. Enjoy!

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The arena housing the competition teams.

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The Team Meeting on Friday afternoon.

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Teams gather for a potluck dinner after the Team Meeting.

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A family of Weber Smokey Mountain Cookers.

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More WSMs.

Continued...
 
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Prepping the skin of "devil meat" (chicken).

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Trimming spareribs into St. Louis style ribs.

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Two of my fellow judges (right) look on while a competitor injects brisket. They're cooking with a team as part of earning their Master Certified BBQ Judge status.

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It's the big day. Time for competition barbecue!

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The Judges Tent.

Continued...
 
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Folks signing in before the Judges Meeting.

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Two judges were celebrating their 30th contest and two judges were celebrating birthdays...all four led us in the KCBS Judge's Oath.

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This way to the public venue for barbecue, music, beer & wine and more!

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Beer and wine flowed...

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Folks lined up for some 'que...

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And more 'que...

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And tacos were available...

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There was a petting zoo for kids...

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Alpacas were present...

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Strangely enough, you could get your hair cut, if you were so inclined.

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Harry Soo of Slap Yo' Daddy BBQ helped administer the Kid's Q competition, shown here shooting some video for his YouTube channel.

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Only five minutes until the first turning...hamburgers!

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I bought some delicious, although pricy, maple bacon jerky. Inhaled in two sittings!

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The California BBQ Association Ambassador Booth was onsite to promote competition barbecue in the Golden State. As you can see, TVWB is a proud sponsor of CBBQA.

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Stagecoach art near the Moreno Arena.

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And overlooking the event center is this giant rock painted to look like a pumpkin. In fact, it's known locally as Pumpkin Rock.

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Flying home to San Jose, over this beautiful cloud deck...until next time!!
 
That was awesome Chris. Great pics and lots of fun being had by all. Great to see the kids getting into cooking also.
 

 

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