Mark Your Calendars ... It’s Coming!
12th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash • Downtown Bel Air, MD
Friday, August 9th, 4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. & Saturday, August 10th, 12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Promoted by the Bel Air Downtown Alliance
Promoting a vibrant community in Downtown Bel Air, MD since 2001!
BEL AIR, MD – Wednesday, January 23, 2013 – The Bel Air Downtown Alliance is pleased to announce the return of one of Harford County, MD’s most anticipated events of the year: The MD State BBQ Bash. Named as Harford County’s “Best Event” in 2012, the MD State BBQ Bash is a barbecue themed street festival featuring the Maryland State BBQ Championship, with more than 50 competition teams from the Mid-Atlantic area and beyond will compete for $12,500 in cash prizes and the chance to compete in the annual Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue in Lynchburg, TN and The American Royal in Kansas City, MO. In addition, more 30 amateur teams will compete in the MD State BBQ Bash Tailgate Challenge to see who has the best ribs and will compete for cash, prizes, and bragging rights. For more than ten years, the MD State BBQ Bash has grown to be one of the largest, most fun, and most anticipated events of the year in Downtown Bel Air. Great food, great music, great people, the Maryland State Barbecue Championship, and the MD State BBQ Bash Tailgate Challenge, have combined to create a tradition that we hope you will want to be a part of this year and in the years ahead.
The MD State BBQ Bash features live music with local and Nashville acts, top quality barbecue and other food vendors, sponsor displays, crafters, various merchant vendors, the Bel Air Farmers’ Market, and children’s entertainment in the Little Piggies Fun Zone. This year, we are pleased to announce that we will once again be bringing Downtown Bel Air to the MD State BBQ Bash with our “Downtown Bel Air at The Bash” tented areas featuring a variety of our Downtown Bel Air shops, boutiques, salons, and spas. “If we can’t move The Bash back to Main Street, we wanted to bring Main Street to The Bash. This is a great way for some of local businesses to gain exposure and a great way for our loyal patrons to see just what Downtown Bel Air has to offer,” reports Scott T. Walker, Executive Director of the Bel Air Downtown Alliance.
You can also expect another great year of fun and excitement with LIVE music from great local bands and a Nashville “rising star”. Once again, WXCY 103.7 FM is sponsoring the Main Stage with great performances planned from Walk-Ins Welcome and soon-to-be announced Nashville recording artist on Friday night, as well as, a variety of local acts on Saturday. “WXCY has been a great friend and partner to the Bel Air Downtown Alliance. We love working with them throughout the year to promote all of the great events in Downtown Bel Air, but we always have the most fun at The Bash,” said Mr. Walker.
Once again, the Bel Air Downtown Alliance has partnered with Natty Boh Gear to bring in some of the most exciting and fun Official MD State BBQ Bash Merchandise ever! In addition, Natty Boh Gear is providing all of the Official MD State BBQ Bash Staff T-Shirts. “To me, nothing says ‘local’ more than Natty Boh,” stated Mr. Walker. “Natty Boh belongs to Maryland and makes everyone in Maryland feel like they are part of a unique community. We are extremely excited to be working with Natty Boh Gear,” he continued. Todd Unger, President of Natty Boh Gear, reports, “We're excited about working with the Bel Air Downtown Alliance on sponsoring one of their many signature events in Harford County. The BBQ Bash is a highly regarded and highly attended event. We're honored to be a part of it.”
The MD State BBQ Bash is free for the public and has regularly drawn nearly 30,000 attendees for the two days of the event. The MD State BBQ Bash is one of the most anticipated and exciting community events in Harford County, with a following throughout the Baltimore metropolitan region and beyond. As always, the MD State BBQ Bash is being brought to you by the Bel Air Downtown Alliance. The Bel Air Downtown Alliance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, Main Street Maryland organization dedicated to creating a vibrant business community and visitor friendly destination in Downtown Bel Air, MD. This event is the largest fundraising effort for the Bel Air Downtown Alliance and 100% of the proceeds benefits their mission and is reinvested locally. As part of their fundraising efforts, the Bel Air Downtown Alliance will be collecting a $1.00 donation/admission fee at the Beer & Wine Garden. The $1.00 fee is only paid 1X/day. “We really want to keep this event FREE and open to the public, but in an effort to minimize the ever-increasing costs of the event, we decided to implement this one-time per day fee at the Beer & Garden,” reports Mr. Walker. “It’s a pretty nominal fee and it essentially boils down to your first drink costing $5.00 instead of $4.00,” he concluded.
So mark your calendars and make room for some Q! The MD State BBQ Bash returns to Downtown Bel Air on Friday, August 9th and Saturday, August 10th in the Mary E. Risteau State Office Building parking lots at the corner of Bond and Thomas Streets. Visit www.DowntownBelAir.com or www.MDBBQ.com to find out more information. You can also stay up-to-date on the “latest and greatest” by following the Bel Air Downtown Alliance on Twitter (BelAirMainSt) or becoming their fan on Facebook (DowntownBelAir and MDBBQBash). Bel Air…Be Local and Be A Part Of It!
