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June 21, 2007
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Spicy meat, grilled meat and saucy meat Break out the bib — it’s Rock N Ribfest weekend By Susan Ware news@hippopress.com Barbecue and rock n’ roll — for some people nothing gets better than that. Rotary Nashua West will hold its annual 5th Annual Rock ‘N Ribfest 2007 Friday, June 22, through Sunday, June 24, at the Anheuser-Busch facility in Merrimack. The crowd typcically numbers nearly 20,000 carnivores rocking out to local bands while eating some of the finest barbecue in the state. The Ribfest is broken into professional and amateur teams, which are cooking and competing for an assortment of titles, plus vendors who are serving up a wide variety of barbecue-related eats and competing for the title of “Best Ribs.” According to Joe Dionne, an event organizer with the Rotary, this year there are 33 amateur teams from around the globe competing. “It is very exciting to see what these very talented amateur teams come up with,” said Dionne, who also happens to be a certified Kansas City Barbeque Society Judge. This event is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, which gives it credibility in flame and coal circles. The mission of the society is to celebrate, teach, preserve, and promote barbecue as a culinary technique, sport and art form. Their goal is to have barbecue recognized as America’s Cuisine, one event at a time. The competition, now in its fifth year, includes grilling on Saturday and barbecuing on Sunday, which means teams will slow-cook overnight at the site, complete with a 24-hour security detail. Gov. John Lynch has proclaimed this contest the official New Hampshire State Barbecue Championships. The barbecue competition will be held on Sunday, beginning at noon. The meats to be judged will be chicken, pork ribs, and pork butt/shoulder and beef brisket. In addition, a New Hampshire Grilling Competition will be held on Saturday beginning at noon. The meats to be judged will be fish steak, sausage, beefsteak and grilled fruit. Dionne said that for die-hard barbecue fans, the place to hang out is the competition area. Teams cook way more food than they actually present to the judges and often hand out samples to onlookers. “People who have been before know that it is wise to wander around the competition area. That is where you get some fine barbecue,” he said. Judging will take place on both Saturday and Sunday with awards handed out for each day’s categories at 4 p.m. And now for the ‘Rock’ This year’s Rock ‘N Ribfest will feature a teen band competition, along with six other bands that will perform throughout the three-day festival.The stage will be covered allowing performances to continue regardless of weather conditions. The teen band competition, on Friday, June 22, 4 to 8 p.m., will feature eight under-age, family-oriented bands: Alter Insignia, a rock and metal band from northeast New Hampshire; Bang Bang, an alternative acoustic rock band from Merrimack; Borderline Eleven, a Christian rock and punk rock band from Hooksett; Card Castle Ruins, an alternative and indie rock band from Nashua; Far Fetched, an alternative rock band from Merrimack; Myself Falling Sideways, an alternative jam band with hip-hop elements, from Merrimack; Stubblefield, an alternative classic rock and blues band from Hudson, and The Double Yellow, a rock band from Nashua. The Reminisants, from Boston, will take the stage, from 8 to 11 p.m., with classic rock favorites. On Saturday, June 23, Project Mess, a rock ‘n roll cover band from Hudson, will perform from noon to 3 p.m. One Fine Mess, a New England-based blues rock and funk band, will perform from 4 to 6 p.m. Brickyard Blues, a Goffstown blues original and cover band, will perform from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Headlining the event is James Montgomery, blues musician from Rhode Island, with his supporting band. Montgomery will perform from 9 to 11 p.m. On Sunday, June 24, Mama Kicks will wrap up the festival, taking the stage from noon to 3p.m. For more information on the bands performing, go to rotaryribfest.org/entertainment.htm. — Erica Febre D.I.Y. BBQ 1 large onion, chopped Saute onion and garlic in oil until golden brown and soft. Add all dry spice ingredients and stir for about 1/2 minute. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer on very low heat for four hours. The long cooking time is needed to remove the acidity from the tomatoes. Puree the sauce in a blender or food processor. It is now ready to use. |
Rock N Ribfest Where: Anheuser-Busch, 221 D.W. Highway, Merrimack. When: Friday, June 22, from 4 to 11 p.m.; Saturday, June 23, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday, June 23, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. How much: Tickets cost $5 for adults. Children 8 and under get in free. Food, games and hot air balloon rides have additional charges. Music is free with entry. Military Appreciation: Any military family (active, reservist, retired or National Guard) can get in free on Sunday with a military ID. Up to four people can enter on one ID. Parking: Parking lots are located at Kollsman, GT Equipment and BAE on D.W. Highway and at Merrimack Office and Fidelity on Continental Boulevard. Handicap parking is available at Anheuser-Busch. Signs will direct you to parking. There is a free shuttle serves to and from each lot every half hour. For more info: Go to rotaryribfest.org. Rib fight What’s to eat
6/07/2007 A wine for Red Sox
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