Brandon Davis and daughter Sarah, the Wreckin-Crue Bar B Que team, of Osage City, offered up a batch of smoked chicken wings to hungry tailgaters during Saturday’s Osage County Tailgate Showdown.
Even with only five teams competing in the Osage County Tailgate Showdown, there was still enough backyard fare to fill up a bunch of tailgaters gathered at Osage City’s Jones Park Saturday night.
The cooking competition, which offered the opportunity to prove who had the best tailgating culinary talents, was open to all sideline chefs in Osage County. As it turned out, all five competitors were from Osage City, with Gail Lohmeyer, of Saucy Lady BBQ, taking the grand champion prize. To win grand champion, Lohmeyer also took first place in dessert category, second place for the best burger, third place for cook’s choice, and was the campsite award winner.
Reserve champion went to Chuck Walquist, of Ribs ‘N Bibs, Osage City. Walquist also won first place for best burger.
Other results were:
Best Burger
- Ribs ‘N Bibs, Chuck Walquist, Osage City
- Saucy Lady BBQ, Gail Lohmeyer, Osage City
- Hoggiestyle BBQ, Jeff Lohmeyer, Osage City
Cook’s Choice
- Hoggiestyle BBQ
- Tipsy Pigs, Neil Dayhoff, Osage City
- Saucy Lady BBQ
Dessert
- Saucy Lady BBQ
- Wreckin-Crue Bar B Que, Brandon Davis, Osage City
- Tipsy Pigs
According to Corey Linton, Osage City Parks and Recreation director, who organized the competition, he thought the event went well, considering it was the city’s first cooking competition that featured only Osage County competitors.
Linton said turnout for the competition was lower than hoped, but other known tailgate cooks in the county had conflicts that prevented them from competing. He said he was happy that not just one team dominated the competition, allowing all competitors to win some of the prize money.
“Everybody went home with decent amount of money,” Linton said Monday, “Overall, teams had a really good time, enjoyed it, and the weather was nice.”
After the competition, the tailgate chefs served up their specialties to the public during a Taste of Osage County. Hungry participants were able to trade Osage City’s traditional barbecue money, BBQ Bucks, for samples of the chefs’ creations in a tailgating atmosphere in the parking lot of Jones Park.
Linton said that about $850 in BBQ Bucks were purchased by the hungry tailgaters.
During the event, “there were people eating, walking around, and talking and socializing,” Linton said. “I think it was a very successful event.”
He said plans are being made for a similar event next year.
Showdown payouts were: Grand champion, $250; reserve champion, $150; three categories, first, $150; second, $100; third, $50. The best campsite won $150.
Osage City has become renowned for its annual Smoke in the Spring State Barbecue Championship, which celebrated its 10th year in April.
Others in Jones Park started the tailgate party about an hour earlier than the Taste of Osage County, as the Osage City Chamber of Commerce hosted a two-hour beer sampling festival featuring about 50 varieties of craft and commercial beers. Several breweries were represented at the beer festival. More than 150 people gathered in the cordoned-off outdoor basketball court in the park, each with a small glass to taste samples of beer offered at tables spread out in the area. Chamber volunteers served as pourers along with the beer company representatives.
To add to the activity in Jones Park, Osage City High School’s Friday night football game was postponed due to impending lightning storms, and was rescheduled to Saturday evening.
Beer samplers gathered on the outdoor basketball court in Jones Park at Osage City Saturday at a sampling festival hosted by the Osage City Chamber of Commerce.
