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Our friends to the north contacted us at www.bbq-festivals.com last week to let us know about a major barbecue festival at the end of August in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. August 30 and 31, 2008 are the dates for the 16th Annual BBQ on the Bow Festival.

From the BBQ on the Bow website:

In the BBQ on the Bow “Alberta Championship”, teams vie for recognition as the Grand Champion by earning the most points in all four required categories. These categories are: Chicken, Pork Ribs, Pork Butt (shoulder) and Beef Brisket. There is also a 5th category called ‘Chef’s Choice’ but the points earned in this category do not count towards the BBQ on the Bow “Canadian Championship”, just bragging rights.

The 16th annual BBQ ON THE BOW Festival will be a two day, free, fun filled family event held on the Labor Day weekend. Please click here for a printable brochure of all the “happenings”.

 Looks like a good time is to be had in Canada…….so if you need a break from the late August heat (hottest time of the year here in Kentucky) then head north for some great bbq and great fun.

We received an email letting us know of a KCBS sanctioned barbecue event in September in Vermillion, South Dakota.

We are KCBS sanctioned and it is our first year with this designation. We are trying to get at least 25 teams and one of the things we are doing for our cooks is giving them fuel vouchers for their trip back home. All contestants will receive at least $50 to put in their tank. We have a $5000 purse guarantee.

Our web site is  www.sdbbqchampionship.com 

Sounds like this is going to be a good event as well as being a first for them with KCBS designation.  The fuel card sounds like a great incentive as well. Now you can’t use gas prices as an excuse.

Will have more about the competition as the date draws near.

We have added a new barbecue restaurant to our nationwide directory of bbq joints.  This one is out west in Casmalia, California north of Lompoc.  The Hitching Post Restaurant has been around for quite a while and is a favorite of Air Force personnel stationed at nearby Vandenberg Air Force Base.  The Hitching Post Restaurant has had quite a history and is actually listed as Santa Barabara County landmark.

Here is a little of what makes this barbecue restaurant so good:

What is the secret to the BBQ that has become world famous? The Hitching Post follows the method introduced long ago in the old west, beginning with the indoor bar-b-que pit. A good fire is extremely important, and for this the Ostinis use red oak wood that comes exclusively from the scrub oak tree which is indigenous to the area. Frank Ostini instilled in his sons the importance of purchasing only the finest beef, aged to perfection. They endeavor to keep alive the traditions of the old romantic West. The weather-beaten walls of the 100-year-old building are crammed with memories that induce an atmosphere of Western nostalgia to romantically inclined people who can relax and trade the pressures of the fast, modern world for an evening of Old West Hospitality. 

To read more about The Hitching Post Restaurant’s unique history click here.

The menu for the restaurant looks really good and as I am a big steak fan I will have to keep this place on my radar the next time I am in California.  They also have a catering business and an online store for the convenience of ordering from them.

All in all The Hitching Post Restaurant looks like a great place to spend an afternoon or evening just relaxing and eating.  Be sure to stop in and take some photos and send us a review…………