‘Bar-B-Q Block Party’ Replacing 2021 BBQ Festival

Last May, folks in Owensboro and the tri-state--and, well, ANYONE who makes the trek to our fair city for some scrumptious barbecue--didn't know what to do with themselves when the 2020 International Barbecue Festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Well, in 2021, the festival--in its original, traditional form--will not be happening. Instead, we'll be celebrating with the "Bar-B-Q Block Party."

On Monday, March 1st, the organizers of the International Barbecue Festival announced the one-day event, which will happen Saturday, May 8th, 2021.

In terms of scale, the Block Party won't be as big as the traditional festival, but we WILL be able to get our beloved barbecue on in early May. And I gotta tell ya, I missed that, big time.

According to a release from the City of Owensboro, despite the scaling down of the event, fans can still expect some of the same events, like the Backyard Cooking Competition presented by Kentucky Legend and--my favorite--barbecue from the church teams.

Plus, 2nd Street will be closed and downtown restaurants will be open, with plenty of space for them to practice safe social distancing.

Now, there WILL be events that folks will miss, but, due to the pandemic, the committee felt like some needed to go away, this year, in order to limit crowd size.

Therefore, there will be no arts and crafts vendors, live music, beer garden, carnival rides, or the World Mutton Eating Championship.

But, hallelujah, there WILL be barbecue. And there will be an outdoor EVENT. Something to attend.

I heard Barb earlier mentioning how she simply misses things to attend.

Problem solved.