Page 15 - JULY 2021 Digital Issue

his family. Arik
Matson, a Po-
lice officer for
Waseca, MN,
was shot in the
head while re-
sponding to a
call in 2020.
Arik has since
been on the
road to recov-
ery and ac-
cepted our
invite to attend
that day. Arik
and his family
were greeted with open arms from those in attendance. The Smokestack BBQ Supply of Brainerd, MN sent Arik home with a new PK GO grill, and Mason Brothers company of Wadena, MN gifted a fantastic package of Heartland Farms ribeye steaks and pork chops to the Matson Family. Home- town Hero Outdoors will be taking Arik on the hunt of a lifetime in 2022, where he will travel to St. Paul Island in Alaska on a waterfowl hunt for King Eider.
This years teams included: Borgy the BBQ Butcher ( Eagle Bend, MN), Pigtamer BBQ ( Moorhead , MN), Rub My Rack (Fort Ripley, MN) Backroads BBQ (Argusville, ND) Smoke in the Eye (Delano, MN) Burnt Trees BBQ ( Des Lacs, ND) Tap and Bucket ( Long Prairie, MN) and Wrecking Crew BBQ
(Staples, MN). In addition to the BBQ Cook teams, Troy Johnson from the Steak Cookoff Associ- ation joined us and was ex- tremely excited to be involved in giving back to our Nations Heroes.
From the bot- tom of my heart I would like to thank everyone who has
had a hand in making this event into what it is. I truly feel as if I have found a second family in the Minnesota BBQ Society and in the BBQ community. The people I have met through this event have been there for me personally as a mentor, a friend, and sometimes just as an open ear when the stress of life gets to be too much. I look forward to see- ing what can be accomplished in the years to come, and the impacts that we could have in these heroes lives.
Alan Larrimore
State Director
Hometown Hero Outdoors Team Minnesota
Minnesota Upcoming BBQ Events
Backyard:
Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cook Off – July 24 – TOY
B Dale BBQ Contest – August 7 – TOY and KCBS Sanctioned Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff – August 21 –
TOY and KCBS Sanctioned
Big Island BBQ – August 22 – TOY and KCBS Sanctioned
Youth First Rib Competition - September 11
LIVIN Festival - September 18 – TOY
Bring’n Home the Bacon 2 – Oct 15 & 16 – TOY and KCBS Sanctioned
Pro:
King Turkey Day Smokin’ Gobbler Cook-Off, July 16-17 Big Island BBQ – Aug 20-21
JOIN US • #MNBBQCREW • Facebook.com/mnbbqsociety
JULY 2021 BarbecueNews.com - 15