Email article
Print article
Digg
Del.icio.us
Newsvine
Between 35 and 40 teams set up RVs and grills for the annual BBQ Cookoff, with teams traveling from across Texas to participate.
“We do this festival every year,” said Bryan Eubanks of the Partners team, which recently moved from Temple to Moody.
He explained the group’s moniker: “It’s so anybody who wants to be a partner this weekend can be a partner.”
In 2006, Eubanks and his team won first place in chicken at the national championship.
They were planning to start cooking about 4 a.m. today and will prepare pinto beans, chicken, pork spare ribs and beef brisket for the competition.
Encarnation R. Zapata of Georgewest was at the festival for the first time with his team, Lagarto Heat. He called his team a “family affair,” pointing out his daughters, son-in-law and wife.
“We do a lot of cookoffs,” Zapata said. His daughter Erika Zapata added that many of the events they participate in are benefits for charities.
The family has been participating in cookoffs for a couple of years, but “this is the furthest we’ve traveled,” Zapata said.
Tom Gallagher, who is in charge of the food vendors at this year’s event, said visitors can go by for a taste of barbecue. Soldiers from Fort Hood are expected to serve as judges, with judging beginning at noon today.
Gallagher said this is the third year for the festival and “things are getting bigger and better every year.”
More local restaurants are getting involved with 14 vendors and the Kids Zone is “almost five times as big” as last year, he said.
Lowe’s Legs of Temple is among those food vendors and owner/operator Melvin Lowe has participated each year of the Bloomin’ Temple Festival.
“We were the first food vendors here,” said Lowe, who works alongside his brother, Julius Ceasar Lowe, cooking turkey legs, sausage on a stick and roasted corn.
“It’s like a hobby,” Melvin Lowe said. “I do about 20 events a year. I have one every weekend this month. Last year, I worked all the way up through December.”
Lowe said he got started about four years ago. “I saw there was some profit in it,” he said. “And I like to do it. I used to do lawn work, but I meet more people this way.”
Organizers expect between 10,000 and 12,000 people to attend the Bloomin’ Festival throughout the weekend, but there could be more, Gallagher said. “With such beautiful weather, whatever we think we’ll have, it’ll be better than that.”
Today’s events include a fun run and 5-kilometer run this morning, a bike ride, car show, and musical entertainment throughout the day. In addition, the festival features exhibits at the Railroad and Heritage Museum, art and craft vendors and much more.
Wristbands for the event are $3 at any participating CEFCO store and $5 at the festival gates. Children 12 and under are free.
Tonight’s headliner is Texas music artist Roger Creager.
Returning this year is the acclaimed Bloomin Idiot Contest at 3 p.m. today on the Gazebo stage.
“We really get people to come out of the woodwork for this contest,” said Danny Dunn, organizer of the outlandish event.
The contest features three categories: juggling, humorous poem and costume contest.
Sunday features several rhythm and blues artists, including Dysfunkshun Junkshun, Busta’moovalators and Binge.
In addition, Grandma’s Quilts and model train exhibits are open today and Sunday.
Bloomin’ Festival registration forms, maps and information are available online at www.bloomintemple.com or by calling (254) 773-2105.