Your View: Many thanks

Dear Editor,

I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank the Sikeston Jaycees and all the sponsors of the 13th Annual Redneck Barbecue than was held in April. It was SACC's most successful barbecue with 32 teams competing in the Kansas City Barbecue Society event.

These teams came from not only Sikeston, but towns in Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky and Arkansas. They brought a great barbecue competition into town, and spend thousands of dollars in our community buying groceries, gas, eating in our restaurants, staying in our hotels and RV parks and some of their family and friends did a little retail shopping while they were here. The evaluations we received back were very favorable, even with the cold and wet weather, and they really enjoyed our "southern hospitality."

The Redneck Barbecue has become a state championship event and is a great way to show off our community and drive visitors to our area at a time that is typically a little slow for our businesses in Sikeston and Miner. The weather, as it sometimes does in April, did not agree with us when it came to our entertainment, kid's games and other activities, although we did manage to hold the chicken chunkin contest.

Even with the not so great weather, the cookers had a good time and the public who braved the weather saw some outstanding cooking setups, some of the best in the country. Teams sold ribs, chickens, etc. and some gave away samples. Of course with the weather cutting the crowds there was a lot of leftovers to be shared among teams, volunteers and friends.

We hope that next year's weather is a little warmer and more people will be able to enjoy the entertainment and food offered by these outstanding teams.

That said, I wish to clarify some misinformation that has been floating around town recently. The Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the 14th Annual Redneck Barbecue next year, April 11 and 12, 2008.

We have registered that date with Kansas City Barbecue Society and our KCBS consultants, Ron and Mary Cato will be joining us for the third year in a row. They, like our returning teams, have enjoyed coming in and working with us on this event and enjoy the friendly folks in Miner and Sikeston.

So mark you calendar for April 2008 and plan to attend the Redneck Barbecue at the Jaycee Rodeo Grounds.

If you have any questions about the Redneck Barbecue, or any SACC events, contact us at 573-471-2498 or go to our website at www.sikeston.net.

Yours truly,

Missy Marshall

Executive Director

Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce