Huntington, West Virginia Rib-Fest

[eDJ]

Huntington, West Virgina "Rib-Fest 2012" begins in August.

The 16th annual Rib-Fest will be held in the Harris Riverfront Park in down town Huntington starting Thursday August 9 thru the 12th. Along with the Rib-Fest will be loads of Music acts for this huge summer event. The city of 50,000 and home to Marshall University has worked to promote the River Front Park which is located across the street from the Pullman Square Mall and Big Sandy Arena.

Most of the media coverage regarding this event covers the Musical entertainment as they know that packs the River Front. Little is said, however, about the Rib-Fest as there is little in the way of food journalist
in the area. The culinary schools are just getting established here.

But this is where those in the Smoking and Grilling trade need to promote their industry and offer press releases for their events to media outlets. Otherwise the event known as Rib-Fest will be upstaged by the Music
fest. Then we may hear people there for the Music complaining about the
all the smoke.

[eDJ]

Re:

I was just talking with a Newspaper reporter in Huntington WV
yesterday about the Rib Fest 2012 and asking him how it seems to be more of a Music Fest than a Rib Cook off ? When I told him I Googled for info that the event is listed as "Rib Fest" yet all that is talked about is the Musical Events.

He was rather dismissive of the question. Basically saying no one knows that much about what those Pit Masters do; they just show up and cook,
sell foods, and if there is any Judging that's all within their own ranks. The public sorta sees it like their providing food and beverage for the Musical Events. So it's called a Rib Fest but actually a Music Fest I joked.

Yea something like that he answered.

I asked if there is anyone with any knowledge of what they do as after all this is the 16 th annual Rib Fest. The town has no shortage of Music Fest.

He just shrugged stating that the Music industry is a well organized business, the artist have agents with press releases and all those things
at the ready for the Media. These BBQ "cooks", who knows. We can't find out anything about them and when this event goes down we are going to be covering what we can connect with. As for those "cooks" until they learn to promote their industry, get web sites with press release info in it
and have some front people to connect with us a few weeks before hand
so we can generate some columns explaining what they are coming here to do, by the time they get here it's too late. So it will be more about the Music than what they do. These guys will remain nameless faceless people in the crowd and be seen like the Carnival people with the Funnel Cakes and Candy Apple concession trailers while the Musicians will be the super stars at their Rib Fest.

The home brewers association in the town doess a fantastic job of promoting
their craft. But again they are more local and landed.

I was reading Richtee's story about the end of Capt'n-N-Smoke and wondered if the group had been promoted to the local media where they
participated in cook off's if things may have been different ? Or if it was just due to other more pressing issues for each of the members ?

Just curious do any of the other competing Pit crews here do any self promotion with the local media and news papers before they arrive for an Event ?

The Huntington WV Rib Fest starts Thursday.

The Local News Paper there is "The Herald-Dispatch".

The Local TV Stations are WSAZ and WOWK and WPBY (pbs)

I'm willing to bet that the whole Rib Fest wil be about the Music Groups
with less than a minute devoted to the Pit Crews.

[Richtee]

Well... it's up to THEM... (The media) to be interested enough to cover the pitmen. Seems the Food Channel and others have found the interest. The precident has been set. THEY need to get off their asses and contact teams showing up.

We're busy.

The powers that be need to look for qualified judges. I'll wager there's a few KCBS qualified judges in the area. A couple ads in the local rags, maybe a call to KCBS and get emails for local judges... is all that would take. Some may not do just a rib burn...but I'll wager some would. I know I would do a local contest like that. And yes, I am A KCBS BBQ judge.

If they want it to be taken seriously, they need to set it up seriously. If not... well, show up for the first band.

And the Captain and Smoke thing...more personal issues with time and money. And no..we were never interviewed or profiled.

[eDJ]

Re:

I finally found some information on Face Book as the search engines and local news sources are only addressing the Music aspect of this 2012 Rib Fest.

5 national Award Winning Ribbers will be pulling into town soon... Big Bone BBQ, Texas Pit, Carolina Rib King, Smokin Joe's BBQ and Bacon's BBQ.

Anyone know any these folks ?

I spoke to one of the Chef/instructors this morning from the local tech school about this and was told that they wish the promoters of this event
would contact them. Those of the Chili, Iron Ware Cooking, Home Brewers, and other outdoor cooking events had done such.

We both agreed that any Pit Crew needed to have a web presence with photos and press release information about themselves available in
their site for local media outlets to use in order to promote them.
Then before the event contact those media outlets (TV, Radio, & Newspapers) with this information and possibly be available for interviews before arriving.

As it stands this is a 2012 Rib Fest with 90%+ of the coverage & promotion of it about the Music. I guess it leaves the Pit Masters to be
perceived by the public as being one and the same as the food vendors who follow along with the County Fairs hawking their snow cones, cotton candy, funnel cakes, candy apples, and othe miscellaneous junk food.

The Chef I spoke with at the tech school laughed about the irony of this and requested that if I can find contact info regarding the organizers of this event (now in it's 17 th year) to call him back and let him know.

Unfortunately the Tech School is having an open house at their new building at the same time so it will be another lost opportunity this year. But they are trying to involve their students with these local events so that by their graduation they will have some experience with organizing and promoting these events in this area. And that could only be a good thing for the cooking competition industry.

Any thoughts from those who have experience in these types of events ?

[eDJ]

Re:

Here are some shots I got at the Rib-Music Fest for 2012 in my area.

These are the various groups and their presentations.

Bacon's BBQ of South Point, Ohio



Attending their Smoker




Big Bone BBQ of Chattanooga, Tennessee



The smokers they were using



Carolina Rib King



They had an interesting Smoker for the Public as a display. Their smoker Pit was behind their store front away from the public.



The "Texas Pit BBQ" group



Their grill and presentation area



Behind these store fronts is the River Walk of the Harris Riverfront Park and this view shows the Marina in the north end of the Park.



We had just had a big storm and it rained rather hard just before I arrived.

The winners of this 2012 Rib Fest was the "Texas Pit" and second place went to Big Bone BBQ. The voting by the public for their choice, went to
Big Bone BBQ and they were awarded "The People's Choice Award".

When I spoke to the Pit Master of Big Bone he was asking me if I had ever heard of Famous Dave's ? I explained that I had and had tried a few of his products. He was pleased and went on to tell me that he helped "Famous Dave" set up his first 5 restaurants. As I spoke to him I inquired as to his background and he told me his family had been in the Restaurant business and his dad got him into it where he now does it. His mom was with him greeting the customers and answering questions and the rest of his crew was busy.

I spoke with the Texas Pit group and we discussed the way the event had been organized. I was asking if his web site contained press release information and contact info that the local TV & Radio stations could use to contact him and interview him over the phone. Even if he could prepare some You Tube videos to embed in the web site that the local TV stations could use to capture footage of them cooking and air. This could in my estimation make a difference in promoting their efforts to the public who may not actually realize what they are there to do. It seems much of the public here just sees these people as being there to provide foods, cotton candy, funnel cakes, candy apples and the like for the "Music" festival.
Kinda like those who travel along with the County Fairs each year.

Most of these people could use a computer they said but they weren't up on using the internet for promoting themselves to the area that they would be arriving in before hand. I suggested that they look at the web sites of the Music acts and see how they were set up for their promotion.

But in all the Rib cooking and Pit Crews got very little exposure in the media compared to the Musicians.

The next day I attended the WCTC tech school's open house and spoke with several of the culinary school Chef/instructors. They explained that they didn't get the opportunity to go as a group to talk with the Pit Masters
and explained that they would offer any assistance they could to help promote them through the media to the people of this area. But next year is another year.

When I spoke to the Texas Pit group they explained that in some cities they work with the culinary schools during these events. Often they are given students for helping them with labor work or finding sources of things they need in the area they just arrived in.

As it is the Civic Arena did the promotion on their own with their own in house people who know and understand Music Promotion. Those of the Rib Fest were given their area to set up in which is already existing for such events and they are allowed to take care of themselves once they
on the space assigned to them. I couldn't find out anything about the Judges or how the Judging took place.

There is only one BBQ restaurant in the town and it is set up to appeal to
people on expense account or sales folks who are entertaining customers.
It is quite pricey. It doesn't do much to promote itself except for having all the Harley Davidson Bikers in there on Sunday Morning for a 50 mile ride where they eat breakfast there and dinner when they get back.

Other than that that is how 2012 went.

I mentioned the Smoked-Meat forum to each of the Pit Masters and their crews.

[eDJ]

Re:

Last evening I stopped in a Wendy's down the road from where I live. I know a young guy there who tells me that he and his Dad are into smoking of sea food as they come from Maryland. I've gotten to know him and we talk about smoking meat when ever I'm in there and it's slow. He will come out to clean tables and chat till customers come in.

Last night he acted quite excited and told me he had someone he wanted me to meet. Turned out he brought this older fellow out who told me he worked at another store that was closed for remodeling. But he and his Dad had been Pit Mastering and traveling in the past 12 years till his Dad had a heart attack.

He was interested in the recent Rib Fest but had had to work so I told him I'd bring in the lap top and show him the photos I took.

As we were talking he told me that most of the events around this area
were before a public that understands little about this form of cooking.
He thought the Cable TV shows that featured Pit Masters would in time help promote the public's awareness and curiosity.

He explained one of the things that they did was to cut up ribs into small pieces and insert tooth picks into them to offer as samples. They had those plastic squeeze bottles with a pointed nozzle which contained the various sauces that they made so that they could put a small sample of them on the small paper sample plate to offer. He laughed and said that
they often played to the wife while noticing the husband ate most of the sample. He said they often sampled the pulled pork that they made in the same way and it sold a lot of Rib Dinners and BBQ sammies to the women.

But he was of the impression that the "general public" still isn't so aware
of the craft of "smoking". Once people try it they are usually favorably impressed with it. He agreed that the industry is beginning to promote itself through TV more effectively.

So the three of us are going to get together again soon and kick around some ideas and look at some of their photos. (smoked sea food and
the others smoker/trailer and public display)

[Richtee]

Well crap. And some big setups there too...

Here in MI it's coming around a little. I'll give some credit to the GLBBA site... check them out.

But it's a shame that the Q can't have at least equal billing with a freakin funnel cake. Or the bands for that matter.

[sweet_magnolia]

Pretty interesting read, eDJ! Thanks for sharing the pictures, too!

[blues_n_cues]

most of the general public doesn't care who is cooking & wouldn't recognize the name unless it's a big chain like smokey bones or famous dave's or a Mc rib. I'v been to several large cookoffs & fairs or festivals where the longest food line is still the Whataburger or Burger King booth.it's what they recognise & know.

the name of the event "ribfest" is all the advertisement needed for a vendor to show up & make money. I know for myself that very few people in WV. know my business name (other than the 150 inlaws I fed @ the reunion lol)so advertising would be a waste of money & time for me.the music is what attracts people,especially gospel acts in WV.

p.s. I always disliked those "storefronts". all that extra signage is just distracting & tacky.

[eDJ]

Re:

I agree that the public doesn't know much about any of this but I wonder how much of that is because the Pit Masters don't effectively market themselves to the public. To the extent those like Famous Dave's, Steve
Raichlen and some of the others do.

What I noticed at Ribfest in my home town that none of the Pit crews were wearing aprons, head cover, or in any way tried to advance the image of a culinary pro. Or instill confidence in the public who is a bit curious..

Some of the people I've spoken with since thought $5 bucks to get into the Rib first and $12 for a dinner with Ribs, Beans, Slaw, etc, and then $4 bucks for a 12 oz beer, could translate to an expensive dinner at one of the towns finest restaurant. Figuring $40 bucks for 2 people. It's a tough argument to sell. Another guy said he could go to "Buddy's" a local BBQ house near the University and dine in air conditioned comfort for less.
(and $4 bucks would buy a pitcher of beer)

[blues_n_cues]

I've been to Buddy's in Huntington,the food is not too bad. the atmosphere is cool & the beer is cold w/ sports on tv.