It’s time to cue the ’que once again.
Barbecue, that is. Add beer and music, steaks and burgers, foot races and motorcycle rambles, activities for kids and plenty of grown-up entertainment on the streets of downtown Greenwood, and you’ve got 2017’s ’Que on the Yazoo, set for Friday and Saturday.
Now in its fifth year, the annual street festival organized by Main Street Greenwood will have some of what you’ve come to expect — including a Memphis Barbecue Network cookoff and lots of entertainment — and a few new additions to the roster.
Main Street Executive Director Brantley Snipes said she feels the event has finally reached a critical growth stage.
“We’ve got 18 teams registered now for barbecue, and a dozen of those are brand-new teams we haven’t had before,” she said, adding that she expected plenty more to register before the event.
“We’ve worked for years to make it super nice. It’s organized; people who know what they’re doing are in charge. I think we’ve finally got some traction to really grow it.”
Grills and barbecue rigs will be set up all along Main Street, between Market and the river, and Front Street. All judging will take place at the Viking Training Center at the corner of Front and Main.
Celebrity judge and professional pitmaster Matt Moore, author of “The South’s Best Butts,” will be on hand to chew on ribs and will sign his book at Turnrow Book Co. at 11 a.m. Saturday while resting his palate.
The book offers inside peeks into the kitchens and smokehouses of some of the South’s most revered pitmasters and explores the history and culture that has arisen around slow-cooked meat and its fixin’s.
Howard Street will host food vendors that will be set up for lunch at noon on Friday, and live music begins at 6 p.m. on Friday on the Front Street stage with a country/Americana-themed lineup. Anne Freeman and The Garbage Sons take the stage first, to be followed by locals Jon and Angela Byrd and Mustache the Band.
Also on Friday night are the Cathead Cocktail Contest featuring the Mississippi-made vodka, and Webster’s Catfish Contest. Judging for both begins at 7 p.m.
Snipes said parking is best along side streets that intersect Howard, Fulton and Main or around the courthouse.
Saturday morning marks the beginning of a new tradition, the Whole Hog Motorcycle Ride, which starts at the Fountain Building parking lot behind Mississippi Gift Company and heads out Money Road via Grand Boulevard before returning downtown.
Runners who want to participate in the Beer Run will gather at 10 a.m. at the foot of the Keesler Bridge, drink a toast to downtown and then proceed up Grand to the Tallahatchie Bridge — where, if they’re inclined, another beer will be waiting. Runners will then head back to downtown for their final beer and to join the crowd for blues from the live stage and more food.
In addition to the barbecue cookoff that will fill the streets of Greenwood with the scent of smoking wood chips, backyard chefs will participate in a Steak Cookoff Association-sanctioned steak cookoff on Saturday.
Steak masters will be allowed to cook two steaks, provided by the association, and will choose the best one for judging.
Kids will have their own special Kids’ Burger Contest to be judged on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday’s blues-themed musical acts include McKinney “Bluesman” Williams at 11 a.m., Mississippi Marshall at 1 p.m. and Little Willie Farmer at 3 p.m.
Meanwhile, kids can enjoy art and game activities all day at ArtPlace (corner of Howard and Washington Streets), inflatables and a community art project.
The event is free, and no coolers are allowed. But bring a fistful of cash to enjoy all the vendors and merchandise on the streets, and to drop a donation in strategically placed buckets.
Proceeds will benefit efforts to preserve and promote downtown Greenwood, the mission of Main Street Greenwood.
’Que on the Yazoo will commence come rain or shine and won’t shut down unless there’s a tornado warning, Snipes said.
“We do it to raise some money, but it’s really more about bringing people downtown,” she said. “Generous sponsors have donated money to cover the insurance and set-up, everything needed to host the event. The money we make comes from ancillary events.
“What it’s really about is the preservation and promotion of downtown. Judges are coming in from as far as western Missouri. It’s a great opportunity for us to show off what we’ve got here in Greenwood.”
To sign up for the steak and kids’ burgers cookoffs, register for the Beer Run or the Whole Hog Motorcycle Ride, or see the most current lineup of events, visit www.queontheyazoo.squarespace.com or visit ’Que on the Yazoo’s Facebook page.
•• Contact Kathryn Eastburn at 581-7235 or keastburn@gwcommonwealth.com.
