(Photo Illustration/MetroCreative)

RIPLEY — The public is invited to attend the second annual West Virginia BBQ Throwdown on April 21-22, a family friendly event at the Jackson County Fairgrounds.

Hosted by the Jackson County Hunting Heroes and sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society, the slogan of the event is “It’s Open Season on Meat.” The festival’s pro and backyard cooking categories have been proclaimed by Gov. Jim Justice as a KCBS West Virginia State Championship.

The event is free and open to the public, but tasting tickets will be available to try four regional BBQ styles of pork butt for $10 each, and JCHH will accept donations on site. All proceeds will go to the Jackson County Hunting Heroes’ future programming efforts that support and mentor military veterans and their families.

A full schedule of events can be found online at www.wvbbqthrowdown.com. In addition to the BBQ cookoff, other activities include the BBQ tasting, food vendors, crafters, kids’ activities, bands, a petting zoo, community dance and a screening of the movie Babe” — but none of the characters will be part of the cookoff, added Andrea Ball, festival event planner.

“Friday night offers the Family Fun Night events starting at 5:30,” she said. “We hope people come out and purchase a picnic dinner from the vendors, stay for (the) community dance with a DJ and bring the kids, a blanket to watch the movie and their lawn chair. Saturday events will include a regional BBQ tasting, craft vendors, face painting, live music for the afternoon and I think we’ll even have a small petting zoo on site.”

Some activities have a charge, like the regional BBQ tasting on Saturday, which is $10 per ticket but free for veterans. The tasting includes samples of pork butt cooked in four distinct regional styles: North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas City and Texas.

“We appreciated the significant community support of this event in 2022, and I know they will come back out to help honor veterans again,” said the Rev. Frank Miller, who volunteers with Jackson County Hunting Heroes. “Moving the event from the Ripley Courthouse lawn was a hard decision for the JCHH, but the added event space at the fairgrounds has allowed us to expand our BBQ team capacity and add several additional activities.”

BBQ cook team registrations are available at www.wvbbqthrowdown.com.

The event is also seeking volunteers and KCBS-certified BBQ judges.

The event offers more than just BBQ bragging rights, as the prize pot is more than $7,500. If more than 25 teams compete, it will include a bid to the national BBQ Cookoff. More details and contest rules for the KCBS BBQ Cookoff, tasting event or general festival information are available on the website or by following the festival on Facebook.

The Jackson County Hunting Heroes seeks to improve the quality of life for U.S. veterans through fellowship, education, support and outdoor recreation. The group began in December 2013 in Ripley with a dedicated group who had a desire to help their fellow service members heal and honor their wartime service through time in nature.