Well, as you might have seen on the home page, we have been very busy again. There were two winter grilling events, Snowshoe in Abington, MA and Grillin on the Bay in Brooklyn; neither was very successful for us. (That, of course, was after the mid-January Winter Sizzler in Lincoln, NH hwere we took a first in chicken.) As soon as we left the Brooklyn contest, we headed to Long Island and stopped in on the BBQ Brethren sponsored class taught by Ray Lampe where we renewed our freindship with Ray and many other friends, and made a few new ones.

After that, Nancee attended the NEBS run cooking class taught byI Smell Smoke. We then instructed the chicken portion of the NEBS BBQ Cooking School. Following that, we went out to Yardley, PA for the BBQ on the Farm where we took 2nd in ribs.

Memorial Day weekend we spent where we usually spend that weekend-camping and watching the car races. Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, CT, "the road racing capital of the East". This year was a bit different, though, as there was a contest with five categories each day. Needless to say, we only saw about 45 minutes of racing. Saturday we took 2nd in chicken wings and 5th in sausage; Sunday was 3rd in corn chowder and 4th in sauce. Monday was barbeque day, where we took 1st in both pork and brisket, winning Reserve Grand Champion. The 5th category didn't count towards overall, but we did take 5th in beef ribs.

Last weekend was one of our favorite contests, the Peter's Pond Rib and Brisket Festival in Sandwich, MA on Cape Cod. We again took Reserve Grand Championship with a 5th in chicken and a 1st in ribs.

Next up is Bluesaque in Hartford, CT June 23-24, grilling on Saturday and barbeque (with an additional category) on Sunday. The music lineup sounds like it will be worth it as well. Also the same weekend is the New Hampshire State Barbecue Championship will be held in Merrimack, NH where many of the other NEBS will compete.

To finish out June, there is a KCBS Certified BBQ Judging Class in Lake Placid, NY on the 29th in conjunction with the I Love Barbecue Festival the 29th through the 1st.

Other contests currently scheduled are noted below. We will not be attending all of them, but feel free to do so if you want; check with NEBS, KCBS or on the event website for further details.

July starts with Summer Sizzler in Lincoln, NH on the 14th and 15th, then the Brookline NH Backyard BBQ on the 21st and 22nd and finishes out with the Harpoon BBQ Championship of New England/Vermont State Championship and a grilling contest on the 28th and 29th.

The Maine State Barbecue Championship is scheduled for August 4-5, the Hudson Valley Ribfest in New Paltz, NY the 18th and 19th and Hogstock the 25th and 26th in Warren, NH.

Rib n' Brews in Lowell, MA takes place September 8-9, the Lion's Harvard Festival in Harvard, MA on the 14th and 15th and Oinktoberfest in Clarence, NY on the 29th and 30th. That same weekend is the 4th Annual Cape Cod Classic on Cape Cod, MA.

Also in the fall will be the Rhode Islatd State BBQ Championship, at a date and location to be scheduled.

Check out the NEBS site for further details, websites and additional scheduled contests, as the calendar is constantly being updated. The Kansas City Barbeque Society is another source for scheduled contests around the country.