Residents of Smithfield must know a thing or two about good barbecue. How else could you explain two of the top three finishers in Saturday’s Smoke on the Water being from the town roughly 90 miles west of Washington?
The top prize of $1,250 in the barbecue competition went to Fred Woodard of Smithfield and his Smokey W’s Pit Que team.
Daddy’s Footsteps, led by Taylor Gregg of Newport, captured the second place trophy and $900. Gregg began competing at the age of 13 and placed in the top three in her first competition.
Two Guys & a Pig, under the direction of Smithfield’s Hunter Hinnant, was awarded the third place trophy and $750.
John Kearney of Goldsboro edged Washington’s Art Williams by one point to take the fourth place prize and $250 for his Haulin’ Hog Cooking team.
The $300 Showman’s Award went to Wesley Bowers and Performance Paint & Body of Washington.
This is the second year that Washington (noon) Rotary has managed Smoke on the Water, an event that continues to improve with age.
“It was the most consistently good group of folks,” said Spencer Stanley, one of the organizers. “It was like a symphony out there today. The barbecue chopping was done well and we had sandwiches pre-made and ready to be sold. I didn’t see a hiccup at all and that was where our problems were last year. Pam Anderson deserves a lot of credit for running the concessions and it was a real community effort.”
In the chili cookoff, Elaine Roberson took first place and $500. Terry Woolard finished second ($300) and Brenda Rogers finished third ($100).
In addition to the cooking competitions, Smoke on the Water visitors were treated to the BCDC Fire Engine Pull, the Wells Fargo stage coach, Tradewinds skydivers landing in the Pamlico River and the Atlantic Beach Fire Department Pipe & Drum team.
After some much-needed sleep, Stanley anticipated a positive review of the weekend.
“The turnout was off the chart – far more than last year,” Stanley said. “It was much better than last year, financially speaking. There was a lot of community involvement. We will spend a week or so compiling data from vendors and businesses but my estimate is that we brought in five to six times more than last year.”
For more coverage of Smoke on the Water, see the Pamlico Horizon’s page in the Oct. 30 Washington Daily News.