The City of Hartford, Hartford Betterment Committee, and Warren County Farm Bureau along with other community partners hosted the First Annual Hartford BBQ Bash on Saturday, featuring cooking and smoking competitions, water fights, a cornhole tournament, and a community feed. Sophia Eckert tells KNIA News the success of the event was brought on by community engagement.
“Today was absolutely amazing. We have had so many participants whether it be citizens and people outside the community participating in the smoke off, same with the cooking contest. Amazing participation in the water fights, and record participation in the cornhole tournament. The park was crazy busy all day, and I’m just overwhelmed with the amount of turnout that we had.”
The community feed fed hundreds of event attendees with locally sourced meat, produce, and dessert from area farmers, organizations, and businesses to help raise money.
All funds raised from the BBQ Bash will go towards making a new sign to welcome visitors to Hartford. For more information, tune in to today’s Let’s Talk Indianola and view photos below.
Winners – Cookout
Steve Heaberlin – Lamb, Poultry, Beef, and Overall Champion
Scott Chaney – Pork
Brooke Hupke and Melana Hammond – Team Competition “Hippie Chick’s Grilling”
Winners – Smoking Competition
Polings BBQ – Chicken, Pork Butt, Brisket, and Grand Champion
Never Easy BBQ – Ribs, Reserve Grand Champion
