Great American Barbecue Festival Announces
Upgrades to New Overland Park Location
“New Central Location Could Draw up to 40,000 Families and
Foodies from Across the Metro”
Overland Park, Kansas (February 2, 2011)
The Great American BBQ Festival will move from its former KCK digs, to the
Overland Park International Trade Center (OPTC), 6800 W 115th Street , off of I-435
and Metcalf, for its May 20-21st BBQ blowout. Civic Philanthropist John Rubenstein
has donated the 10 acre facility to generate excitement for the area, and to bring
Kansas City’s BBQ heritage closer to home. OPTC’s Chief Engineer, Dave Easley
says that this “Is a natural combination. We are excited to bring the Great American
to Overland Park”.
In its 7th year of existence, The Great American’s Executive Director, Tracy Satterfield
remarked that “We’ve been around for awhile, and the opportunity to get closer to
the heart of the city, is timed perfectly. With over 237,000 people living within 5 miles
of the OPTC, we are can share our food, fun and philanthropy with a whole new
audience”. KCBS founder Carolyn Wells notes that the GAB is one of the city’s crown
jewels. It is one of the largest and most prestigious BBQ events in the country, and
this move will generate a lot of excitement”.
In addition to the new locale, the GAB will host over 180 championship cooking teams
vying for over $40,000 in prize money, over a spectrum of bbq contests, over 5,000
pounds of pork to be sampled, a “Peoples Choice” sauce contest, the Worlds of Fun
Kidz Zone, a children’s “Kids Que” BBQ contest, professional BBQ judging courses,
live music, fireworks and demonstrations from the Culinary Center of Kansas City,
KCBS and Southern Living magazine.
A single day admission for the event will be $10 at the gate. An all-weekend pass
is also available for $15.00 at the gate. Children 12 years and under are admitted
free. Admission to the event includes access to the barbecue cooking areas, the live
musical performances, and the Worlds of Fun Kidz Zone. For more details and ticket
information, go to: www.thinkbbq.com.
About the Great American Barbecue
The Great American Barbecue is a fundraiser for the 25-to-1 Fund, a 501 (c)(3)
organization affiliated with the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. Net
proceeds from the event will go to Fox 4 Love Fund, Guadalupe Center, Kookers Kare
and food donations to St. Mary’s Food Kitchen of Kansas city, KS.