10 Annual Bixby BBQ 'n Music Festival

Here, barbeque teams from across the country will compete for cash and prizes, and the winner will earn an invitation to Kansas City’s prestigious American Royal Barbeque competition.

Deborah from the Bridge Church in Bixby does face painting in the Kids Zone tent at last year’s Bixby BBQ ’n Music Festival.

On Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7, the Rotary Club of Bixby is hosting the 10th annual Bixby BBQ ’n Music Festival, the biggest of its kind in Oklahoma, at Washington Irving Memorial Park (137th and Memorial).

The Bixby BBQ ’n Music Festival is an official State of Oklahoma Barbeque competition and is officially sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society. Here, barbeque teams from across the country will compete for cash and prizes, and the winner will earn an invitation to Kansas City’s prestigious American Royal Barbeque competition.

“This is a premier event for our community, state, and beyond,” says Patty Holderman, president of the Bixby Rotary Club. “Not only does the festival provide the opportunity to sample the best barbeque available, it also offers a wide range of great activities for children, families, and music fans of all ages, and it helps to fund programs that provide services to at-risk families and educational opportunities to Bixby-area children.”

You can get in on this barbeque action with the always-popular People’s Choice taster kits. For $5, you can taste samples of ribs, pork, brisket, chicken and sausage from the People’s Choice competitors, then vote for your favorites. Taster kits will be available Saturday, May 7 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., as supplies last. Prizes for the competition will be awarded at 3 p.m. Other vendors will be on hand throughout both days of the festival, purveying barbeque and other types of food.

This year, the festival will feature an expanded entertainment schedule. Friday’s musical artists, who take the stage beginning at 5 p.m., include Out Cold (variety), West 51 (country-rock), Tulsa native David Dover (blues/classic rock), and Susan G. Komen for the Cure Celebrity Ambassador Candy Coburn (country).

Saturday’s artists take the stage beginning at 11 a.m. They include Dylan Whitney (guitar), Oklahoma City’s Roland Bowling Band (blues), Tulsa’s Blazer Band (rock and roll), Travis Kidd (country), the Mike Hosty Duo (blues/rockabilly), the Brandon Clark Band (country/blues), and Tulsa’s Stars Go Dim (pop/rock).

The Bixby BBQ ’n Music Festival has placed a strong emphasis on being family-friendly. The extravagant Kids Zone is a fun, safe place to leave your kids while you enjoy the food and music. The Kids Zone will feature free carnival games, face painting, and magic shows. A day pass for the inflatable jumpers will be available for $12 (with coupons for $2 off available at www.bixbyrotarybbq.com). Tickets will also be available per jump.

The Bixby BBQ ’n Music Festival is organized and hosted by dozens of Bixby Rotary Club volunteers. Rotary, which emphasizes service and giving back to the community, is active in many community projects. It supports youth development through promoting education, literacy, and good decision-making, and sponsors youth leadership camps and college scholarships. Rotary also offers community support through clothing and food donations. Proceeds from the festival benefit the Bixby Rotary Club’s community projects.

Past projects have included the construction of the Bixby Public Schools electronic marquee, the Rotary Club of Bixby Amphitheater at Washington Irving Park, and a playground at the Daily Family YMCA. Proceeds have also gone to projects with the Bixby Outreach Center and have supplied over $15,000 in college scholarships and other aid for students at Bixby Public Schools. For more information on the Bixby Rotary Club and the work they do, visit ww.bixbyrotary.com.  

The Bixby BBQ ’n Music Festival is Friday, May 6 from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Saturday, May 7 from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Washington Irving Memorial Park, located at 137th and Memorial. Admission is free; parking is $5 per vehicle. For more information, including an event map, music schedule, and coupons for the Kids Zone, visit www.bixbyrotarybbq.com. For more information, call Rolf Hufnagel at (918) 344-2767.

For more information, contact

Bixby BBQ ’n Music Festival

(918) 344-2767

www.bixbyrotary.com