Tickets on sale now for BBQ Lover’s Dream Weekend

Pumpkinfest and the Battle of the BBQ are free admission, but there are some special events surrounding the BBQ available to ticketholders. Presenting sponsor Heineken brings a fun new “Heineys and Butts” tent to the competition, where the public will have a chance to sample some of the competition pulled pork and ribs along with Heineken products in a big tent on Fourth Avenue South.

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Heineken will be served 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, with the Peoples’ Choice BBQ competition available for public tasting from 3 to 6 p.m. for $5 per plate of pulled pork and $1 per bone for ribs while they last.
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“Last year, there was tremendous interest in the Peoples’ Choice awards,” said Downtown Franklin Association President Andy Marshall. “We’ll continue that this year in a bigger way, with the Heineys and Butts tent, and add some extra opportunities for BBQ enthusiasts who want more.”

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Ticket options include:

1) $50 Friday Night, Oct. 28, VIP Experience

Your ticket includes admission from 6-9 p.m. in the Heineys & Butts tent on Fourth Avenue

South, with a smoked meat feast provided by Puckett’s Restaurant and Heineken beers.

Wine and spirits also available. You will observe the Friday Night sauce competition with

entertainment continuing until 9 p.m.

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2) $125 BBQ Lovers’ Dream Weekend

In addition to all of the Friday Night VIP benefits, the BBQ Lovers will also be part of group

tours with Memphis BBQ Network officials, judges and teams to observe the contest Saturday

morning, Oct. 29. They will receive complimentary tastings, beer and wine throughout the event from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29.

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As a Memphis Barbecue Network-sanctioned competition, the Battle of the BBQ will play host to at least 10 professional teams, and the smoker trucks will roll in on Friday, Oct. 28 to cook pork butts and shoulders, whole hog and ribs slow and low overnight. Backyard competitors will cook alongside the pros, but their categories are beef, chicken and ribs. Altogether, more than 20 teams will compete in the professional and amateur categories, with awards going to winners in the three cuts of meats.
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On Saturday, Oct. 29, a 100-foot tent will be set up on Fourth Avenue South, in front of Puckett’s, to allow attendees to enjoy beer and barbecue as part of the festivities. With the addition of Heineken as the presenting sponsor, the 2nd Annual Franklin’s Battle of the BBQ has adopted the tongue-in-cheek tagline of “Heineys and Butts,” and T-shirts and other memorabilia will be available for sale.

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The popular logo, featuring the two pigs in Confederate and Federal garb, will be back as well.  Professional barbecue judges will determine the winners of $10,000 in prizes and awards, with the Memphis Barbecue Network Grand Champion walking away with $2,000 and the Middle Tennessee Champion winning $1,000. Each food category will yield cash prizes for the competitors, as well as Peoples’ Choice awards for barbecue. The Backyard teams will compete for the $250 first prize.

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Second and third places will pay $150 and $100, respectively, in each category.  For more information or to register, visit www.franklinsbattleofthebbq.com. The entry fee is $350 per team for professionals for all three categories (less for fewer categories), $100 for backyard teams, and $25 for the Friday Night Sauce Fight. Discounts are available for participating in the Peoples’ Choice awards.
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Friday Nigh VIP ($50) and BBQ Lovers’ Dream Weekend ($125) event tickets are also available now on www.franklinsbattleofthebbq.com.  Franklin’s Battle of the BBQ is produced by the Downtown Franklin Association, a nationally certified Main Street Program of the National Trust and a division of the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County. Proceeds from the BBQ competition go to the continued revitalization and promotion of Historic Downtown Franklin.
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