Party Night!

Not sure any amount of preparation can really get one ready for the Party Night at the American Royal BBQ. Consider for a moment that these guys were probably the most sober group wandering around the entire grounds on Friday night.

Wow!

So, here, in no particular order, are the Top 10 lessons learned about hosting a party at the Royal:

10. Lock the door to the port-a-potty

9. Be sure and have a camera ready when Janet starts to jump up on stage to dance

8. With 3 bands within 50 feet of your space, playing 3 different kinds of music, there is no point in even turning on the sound system

7. Lock the door to the port-a-potty

6. Cut Robert off after two dozen ABT's

5. Warn guests about bringing children under 18. Then warn them again.

4. Bring a Taser

3. Make special wristbands for invited guests, and make everyone wanting a rib or a beer to show it!

2. Be ready to barter with the wandering drunks, as they might have something you can use! (or drive)

1. Lock the door to the port-a-potty

Seriously, hope everyone had a great time, thanks for coming down and fighting the crowds. If Andrea ever cuts loose with any of the real photo's, we will get them on here! (hint)

Robert D - Where you at? Did you miss your plane?

OK, so we did not get one of these on set up day, but it seems pretty d*mn close. Ever try setting up an EZ Up tent in gale force winds? No, WE ARE NOT SHOUTING AT YOU, WE CAN BARELY HEAR OURSELVES OVER THE WIND, THE TRAINS AND THE SANDBLASTING EQUIPMENT, HOWEVER!!

The A/R Party

Well, everybody else does this, so why not throw a party? Many of you have received this invitation by now. So, it's quite simple, actually, all you should need to do is use this handy wallet-size map of 100 acres of tents and cook sites, navigate the crowds, expected to be in excess of 200,000, navigate the maze of buses and shuttles and off-site parking and wander around until you find us!

And Robert D, we have a giant award to give you for traveling all the way from Dallas to attend this. All you need to do is show up and receive it.

A/R is upon us - footnote

Oh yeah, and one team member will get the added advantage of using these during the entire Royal.

The A/R is finally upon us!

Well, the big A/R event is only a few days away now. After an initial season that saw much more success than any of us thought likely, we are poised to go cook in the World Series of BBQ contests, as a rookie team no less!

For those that aren't familiar with the American Royal BBQ Contest, it is referred to as the World Series of BBQ contests, but it really should be called the Mardi Gras of BBQ contests. It is hybrid event that combines elements of a street fair, a community wide party, a series of BBQ contests, a trade show, a poker tournament, and a tremendous amount of alcohol, all packed into a few small city blocks in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

This year's event is scheduled to be the biggest ever, as this excerpt from a local media source attests.

We think we have everything planned to compete in 13 different events this weekend. The GC in the Hy-Vee contest back in April gained us an invite to not only cook in the big 500+ team contest, but also in the coveted Invitational Contest. So we think we have everything planned to to cook in 13 different events, navigate the logistics of the Royal for the first time as a team, host a party, etc.

Team Vehicle Requirements

Due to the extreme influence of the University of Arkansas on this BBQ team, all team members have been asked to modify their vehicles to look like this.