For immediate release
Contacts: Don Tonyan and Donna Schaefer
Rotary Club of McHenry Blues, Brews & BBQ’s co-chairs
Tonyan: 815-482-0746; don@wmtonyan.com
Schaefer: 815-482-8805; donnaschaefer@comcast.net
Blues, Brews & BBQ’s organizers
ready for spiced-up fest
McHENRY — The inaugural Blues, Brews & BBQ’s pro-level cook-off already has proved to be a recipe for excitement. All 36 slots for the Kansas City Barbecue Society-sanctioned event are filled, event organizers said.
Teams will set up Saturday, Aug. 19, with hand-ins and judging Sunday, Aug. 20.
“Thank you Don Tonyan for spearheading this event and for encouraging us to take the leap of faith on this new part of our festival,” Donna Schaefer wrote in an email to Blues, Brews & BBQ’s Committee members. Schaefer and Tonyan are co-chairs of the Rotary Club of McHenry’s three-day music, barbecue and craft beer fest, which starts Friday, Aug. 18, at Petersen Park, McHenry.
Schaefer noted that the pro-level contest brings added expenses including tent, electric and prize money. But with a full complement of 36 teams and the accompanying entry fees, the club — and in turn the community — will benefit.
“Over the last five years, the club has funded more than $150,000 in local and international service projects, with 80 percent of the money remaining local,” said John Halbleib, a Blues, Brews & BBQ’s Committee member. Recipients have included Family Alliance, Family Health Partnership Clinic, Garden Quarter Neighborhood Resource Center and more. The majority of the money distributed was raised at Blues, Brews & BBQ’s, now in its sixth year. Anyone curious about other benefitting agencies can learn more at This is Us, Halbleib added.
Sponsorship opportunities remain available, ranging from the $100 Friends of Rotary level on up. Sponsors paying by Aug. 14 will be recognized through banners and announcements at the event. Visit www.mrbbb.com and click on the sponsors tab to learn more, or to make an online donation.
“Between our lineup, the always great craft beers, the barbecue vendors and all of the excitement the KCBS contest is generating, this is an especially good year to be a sponsor, and we are so grateful to the many who’ve already stepped up,” Schaefer said.
Scheduled performers include Kevin Purcell in the Allman Brothers tribute band Rosehill Revival, as well as Pierre Lacocque, the BluesNiks, Mississippi Heat and Wall of Denial. The fest will begin and end with local favorites, the John Todd Band and Alabaster. Also featured will be Johnny Iguana and the Claudettes, and the Fernando Jones Kids, young musicians who wowed the Sunday crowd at last summer’s fest. The complete line-up and other fest information are available at mrbbb.com. Blues, Brews & BBQ’s fans also are encouraged to like the Facebook page.