The annual Canton Day Off celebration was held August 16-18, and one of the featured events was the annual Boomer Backyard BBQ contest. Brady Bergey, a Canton native now living in Stewartville, said, “My brothers and I, we have a barbecue team, and we travel all around on weekends and compete.” He added that after competing in Canton’s Boomer BBQ contest for several years, and being the champion team once, “Last year was the first year that I got involved in helping with it… So instead of competitors, we became organizers.”
Bergey explained that the contest is open to 12 teams, with a total payout of $3,000, with a sign-up cost of only $100 per team. Payouts are $600 for Grand Champion, $400 for Reserve Champion, and $250/$150/$100 payouts for the top three places in each of the four meat categories, which include chicken, ribs, brisket and pork. The contest begins at 5 p.m. Friday, with judging beginning at noon Saturday, and awards at 3 p.m. Saturday. Bergey said although it’s not required for each team to cook all four types of meat, this year every team chose to do so. Since this is a “backyard” BBQ contest, it is intended mostly for beginning BBQ teams. He added that the contest judges this year were a dozen Kansas City Barbecue Society certified judges. Bergey said the contest is capped at 12 teams so that it can continue to be held downtown, in the midst of the Day Off grounds, but that if possible, he’d love to expend it to 18 teams, if enough space were available.
As the contest got cooking on Friday evening, teams were busy firing up grills and injecting seasonings into the meats. The Fortunate Meats BBQ team, from Rushford, took time out to tell what brings them to such contests. Trey Ritter said that although he gets very little sleep overnight during the contest, because of the need to closely monitor temperatures and fuel, he stated, “It was really fun last year.”
Magnum P.I.G., a team from Lake Elmo, shared what brings them back to Canton. Al LeCuyer said, “Last year was our first year, and we liked it so much that we signed up day one when he announced it was open, and we’ll probably be back next year as well.” He added, “One of the really cool things at this contest, for us at least, is how much of the community is involved. Last year we only stayed Friday night, and it was so fun with the band, and the firemen are serving you beer, and all the people are talking to you and asking questions… So this year we’re staying two nights… it’s more of an event than just a barbecue contest.” LeCuyer also shared that, in keeping with their team name, they wear Hawaiian shirts to look like “Magnum PI.”
Bergey pointed out that of the 12 teams that signed up for this year’s contest, seven were returning from last year. He also shared that the teams are a blend of local and long distance teams, with teams from as far as western Minnesota, the Twin Cities area, and even Illinois.
At the awards ceremony on Saturday, the CR Butts BBQ team (out of Wykoff) was named Grand Champion, and North of the Border (out of Adams, Minn.) was Reserve Grand Champion. Photos of the BBQ contest, awards, and other Day Off photos are available on the Canton Day Off Facebook page. Bergey voiced a big thanks to all of the contest’s sponsors and donors, saying “We couldn’t do it without them,” and said he really appreciates the Canton Community. Association, which organizes the entire Day Off event, adding, “They’re just awesome to work with,” and they have been very accommodating for whatever the BBQ contest needed. 
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