BBQ News: A Hit, A Miss and A Ticket to Ride

Summertime Grilling & Chilling at 10,152 Feet

Attention all you barbeque aficionados! Heads up, to all you finger-lickin, lip-smackin foodies who just can’t get enough of that smoky, sweet goodness that comes fresh off the grill this time of year. Leadville Today (LT) is bringing you some BBQ news you can use in a segment called A Hit, A Miss and A Ticket to Ride. Find out everything you need to know about grillin’ and chillin’ at 10, 152 feet.

A Hit: Leadville BBQ & Brew Returns

This weekend Friday & Saturday, June 21-22, will mark year four for the Leadville BBQ & Brew Festival as grill connoisseurs and microbrew lovers descend on America’s highest city to get their grub on. The annual event is back after a year’s reprieve due to the kind of local politics you need your boots for, so be sure to show up with your bib, some sawbucks and get ready to have a good time!

The Leadville/Lake County Chamber of Commerce hosts the event and promotes a family-friendly, festival atmosphere including live music, a kid’s zone and plenty of vendors selling their wares and promoting their businesses. The event kicks off on Friday, June 21 at 10 a.m. on historic Harrison Avenue and culminates on Saturday, June 24 at 4 p.m. when prizes for the BBQ competition will be awarded.

Of course, for the serious grill-masters, it’s all about the BBQ! And as a Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) and a Rocky Mountain BBQ Association sanctioned event, there’s more on the grill than just that sweet, saucy goodness for the Leadville competition. How about $10,152 in cash and prizes?!

KCBS is the world’s largest organization of barbeque and grilling enthusiasts with over 20,000 members worldwide and is dedicated to promoting and enjoying barbeque. It now sanctions over 500 barbeque contests worldwide and the one being held in Leadville Today is – you guessed it – America’s highest! That special designation, along with the official KCBS sanction will bring some of the best competitors from the BBQ circuit into town this Friday and Saturday. So let the smack-talk begin!

Per KCBS rules, there are 4 meat categories required to be eligible for the Grand Champion, Reserve Grand Champion and the Top of the Mountain awards. In addition, for the top of the mountain award, you must also have competed in the Frisco Colorado Barbecue Challenge the previous weekend.

There will also be 2 extra categories; side dish and dessert. And the competition will have something for the little grillers in the Kids Q.

Readers may find out more about the competition, music line-up and other vendor information on the Leadville BBQ & Brew Festival website. It should also be noted, that there will be road closures and parking restrictions in place for this event beginning Thursday evening.

The stage is set for a good time this Friday and Saturday at the 4th annual Leadville BBQ & Brew Festival. See you on the avenue! Photo: Leadville Today/Kathy Bedell

A Miss: July 4^th BBQ at Airport Canceled

It’ll be year two that the annual Fourth of July Bar-B-Que at the Leadville Airport will take a pass, this year due to the county-owned facility being closed due to rehabilitation work on the runway.  Of course, with summer getting such a late start, any number of local eateries, food trucks, and good, old-fashioned, tax-paying businesses could probably use the coin, so please consider spending some of yours in town for 4th of July weekend.

Forecasters are calling for sunshine for Independence Day weekend, so should it be nice and you choose to sit outside the following Leadville eateries provide patios, sidewalk tables and rooftops are open for business! Let’s show them some Leadville love! Pastime Bar & Café, Wild Bill’s, Tennessee Pass Café, Melt Food Truck, Buchi Cafe (new!), High Mountain Pies, Jane’s Hot Dog Stand, D’Love Gourmet Coffee ‘n’ Ice Cream, Casa Sanchez, Treeline Kitchen, Cookies With Altitude, The Grill, Subway, Gringos, and El Mexicano.

A Ticket to Ride: BBQ Railroad

And finally, in the world of BBQ hopes and dreams, this next event has it all. Because if BBQ and brews get you excited, just add the third leg to that stool – scenic mountain views – and you’ll feel like you died and went to hog heaven! On July 5, a special Leadville, Colorado and Southern Railroad trip will depart at 4:30 in the afternoon for one of three of its special BBQ rides offered this season. The Devils Tail BBQ Special takes riders up, up, up the Arkansas River Valley as the sun begins to set over the two highest peaks in Colorado. All along the ride while soaking in the views, guests will be treated to some award-winning barbeque and brews (or wine) from its expanded spirits offering this year. This ride usually sells out, so to make your reservation, log on to the Leadville railroad website.

A ticket to ride on the BBQ Train is usually a SELL-OUT. #AllAboard for BBQ, Brews and Views. Photo: Leadville Today/Kathy Bedell.

The Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad offers a 2.5-hour scenic train ride through some of the best terrain the rocky mountains has to offer. At his point in the season, they offer two trips daily at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. They also have a number of special train rides including the upcoming wildflower rides as well as the BBQ trips. #AllAboard for summertime fun!