Page 14 - JULY 2021 Digital Issue

HHO BBQ Bootcamp
Smoke filled the streets of the small town of Eagle Bend, MN as pit masters from 8 Minnesota BBQ Society teams fired up their pits for a very special event. The event, or- ganized by Steve Weishair, AKA Borgy the BBQ butcher, is called Hometown Hero Outdoors BBQ Bootcamp.
Hometown Hero Outdoors is a 501©3 Non-profit organiza- tion, with a mission of providing active military, veterans, and law enforcement officers with outdoor opportunities to assist in healing and building healthy relationships within the community. Hometown Hero Outdoors, which was founded in Minnesota in 2017, has now grown to 17 states, with hopes of having a chapter in each state in the future.
For the 2nd year Steve Weishair has organized this event for Hometown Hero Outdoors, each year adding more cook teams, which allows the event to accommodate more mem- bers from Hometown Hero Outdoors.
The event was first held in 2019 at the Eagle Bend city hall, we hosted 20 members and at the end of the day we knew that this event would grow and become something incredi- bly special. 2020 rolled around and unfortunately it was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Steve never gave up on his promise to bring the event back for Hometown Hero Outdoors and got to work planning the event early in 2021.
When asked what led Steve to create this event, he noted that he comes from a family with a rich history of those who served in the military, as law enforcement and as fire fighters and first responders.
“ I know the struggle is real, and the camaraderie amongst your entities are crucial to healing, no matter how old the memories are. If we can give that memory a break and put an individual into something that they enjoy, then our mis- sion is complete.” Steve said This year’s event truly showed what the Minnesota BBQ Society and its members, as well as the BBQ Community nationwide is capable of. I began trying to source donations for the event, with the hopes of sending each of the members in attendance home with a “starter pack” of sauces and rubs for them to try out. Dona- tions came in from all over, from major brands in the BBQ world, to small businesses who were just excited to be able to give back.
The goal for this event was to bring these Military mem- bers, Veterans, and Law enforcement officers together, give them some tips and tricks to really impress their friends and family whenever they step behind a grill ,and hope- fully create lasting friendships and relationships along the way. We were able to accomplish that and so much more.
This year we were able to host 40 members from Home- town Hero Outdoors, as well as one very special guest and
BarbecueNews.com - 14
JULY 2021