Big Creek BBQ Bash Grows Into a Multi-Day Fall Festival

By Connie Whitlock
Publishing Editor

What started as a barbecue competition in Pleasant Hill is growing into a multi-day fall festival. The Big Creek BBQ Bash returns to the Cass County Fairgrounds Oct. 2–3, but this year the Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned competition will be just one part of a much larger weekend.

Now expanded into the Big Creek Fall Festival, the event will include live music, more than 20 vendors, food trucks, a pancake breakfast, children’s barbecue competitions, cornhole, a homebrew competition, whiskey tastings, a talent show and, of course, plenty of barbecue. The expansion marks a significant change for an event that began with competitive barbecue at its center, although the smokers, teams and judges aren’t going anywhere.

Barbecue is still at the heart of Big Creek

The Big Creek BBQ Bash is a KCBS-sanctioned Backyard BBQ competition, which means the contest follows Kansas City Barbeque Society rules and judging standards and uses KCBS representatives to help oversee the competition.

Pleasant Hill residents Bunny and Rich Tuttle are distinguished KCBS representatives and have served as representatives for two of the event’s past three years. A KCBS judging class was held in Pleasant Hill in August, giving residents the opportunity to become certified judges. Depending on the number of teams entered, Big Creek typically uses between 12 and 24 judges.

Last year’s competition brought 23 Backyard teams to Pleasant Hill. Organizers expect fewer teams this year because the American Royal, also a KCBS event, falls on the same weekend. While the number of barbecue teams may be smaller, everything happening around the competition is getting bigger.

Friday night brings barbecue and live music

The festival opens Friday evening with vendors, food and drinks beginning at 5 p.m. Scouts will kick off the festival with a Presentation of the Colors, followed by one of the weekend’s main attractions, “Taste of the Que.”

Instead of simply watching the competition teams cook, festival attendees can eat some of what they’re making. From 6 to 8 p.m., teams will prepare a dinner featuring pulled pork, chicken, wings, sides and desserts. Tickets for “Taste of the Que” will be available at the event for $35.

A $60 VIP experience includes the dinner, reserved seating and a private whiskey and spirits tasting. VIP tickets must be purchased in advance by Oct. 1. Then the focus shifts from barbecue to music. Mudflap Mafia will perform a free public concert at the pavilion from 7 to 11 p.m., giving visitors a reason to stick around long after dinner.

Saturday starts early

Saturday’s schedule begins with another Presentation of the Colors by the Scouts, followed by a Scout Troop 300 fundraising pancake breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. Then some of the youngest cooks at Big Creek get their turn in front of the judges.

Kids Que, for children ages 5 to 10, challenges competitors to create their best hot dog. Junior Que, for ages 11 to 15, moves up to hamburgers. Both competitions take place Saturday morning from 9 to 11 a.m. and require advance registration by Oct. 1.

Meanwhile, a cornhole tournament begins at 9 a.m., vendors open for the day and more than five food trucks are expected to be serving at the fairgrounds. A free bounce house will be available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Scout Troop 300 will hold demonstrations from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Homebrew, Whiskey and a Dunk Tank

Barbecue won’t be the only thing being judged Saturday. A Home Brew Competition is planned from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., adding another competitive element to the festival.

The expanded event also includes whiskey and spirits tastings featuring Missouri distilleries Barewood Spirits and Blacksmith Artisanal Distillery. The ticketed tasting is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Bale and Ash setting up a nearby cigar tent. And then there’s the event that may draw a crowd all by itself. Mayor Don Donovan is scheduled to take his seat in the “Dammit Don Dunk Tank” from 1 to 3 p.m.

The barbecue competition returns to center stage later in the afternoon, with awards presented at the pavilion at 3:30 p.m. A talent show from 6 to 8 p.m. will help close out the festival Saturday evening, with advance registration required for those who want to compete. For organizers, adding more activities to the weekend is ultimately about getting more of the community involved.

The Big Creek Fall Festival will be held Friday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Cass County Fairgrounds in Pleasant Hill. Admission to the festival and Friday night’s concert is free. Some meals, tastings, and competitions require tickets or advance registration. Downtown Pleasant Hill has more information.