More BBQ Fest notes

This year, our team booth was built to include a window bar.  Here’s a pic of team members Gary and Boo enjoying the window seating:

I’ve been told that the window bar was designed with me in mind.  The window seats at the Flying Saucer tend to be my home away from home, so the team wanted me to have a home away from my home away from home at BBQ Fest.  Thanks for thinking of me guys!

One of them pointed out, “At the Saucer there’s a Window Game, where we count the number of sightings in various categories – bums, police cars, cars going the wrong way up one-way Second, and so on.  If there’s window seating in the team booth, there ought to be a Ques Brothers Window Game.”  Good point.  Only problem is, more than half the categories on the Saucer Window Game are vehicle-related.  That won’t work in a festival in a public park.  So this morning I designed the 2008 Ques Brothers Window Game:

The categories are Ice (the wagons that drive around and sell ice to teams), cops, kegs, fork lifts, Memphis in May volunteers, tube top sightings, moochers (people who don’t know anyone on the team but try to scam their way in to get free BBQ and beer), RUP (Really Ugly People, the lone holdover from the Saucer Window Game), and RDP (Really Drunk People).

We had a huge problem with moochers last year – people who would just stroll in and help themselves to beer and liquor.  That shot our liquor costs to the sky.  As a result, this year we’ve not only tightened security out front (the Door Gestapo) but we also built a bar.  Here’s a pic of bartender Mikey serving drinks:

This year no one (not even team members) will be allowed to pour their own drinks.  The people behind the bar will handle all the dispensing of beer, wine and liquor.  That will allow us to maintain control of who has access to our supply.  Plus, the bar looks really cool.

I haven’t signed up for any bartending or door security shifts.  That’s not my best role on the team… I hate responsibility, and besides I don’t want to have to maintain the degree of sobriety necessary to do those jobs.  My planned contributions for today are

  • Team photographer, since Kurt who took 2700 pictures last year isn’t here, and since Mikey the Camera Nazi is busy with other duties.
  • Connector.  “Hmmm… that person should meet this person, they might be able to do business together.  Those two people would make good friends, need to make sure they meet each other.  She’s new to Memphis, gotta introduce her around and make sure she has a good time.  That person said her company might be interested in a sponsorship next year, gotta get her some quality time with Chuck.”
  • Advisory role to the Door Gestapo.  I’ll be in the window most of the day anyway, right next to security.  “She’s so-and-so’s roommate, I promised her a guest wristband but I couldn’t find her, she’s good to go…  That guy?  He walked out on a tab at the Saucer and the waitress had to pay it and it made her cry.  Not the caliber of person we want in this booth…  Her?  Don’t know her but she’s hot and she has a tube top on.  I vote let her in.  Make sure she’s 21 though.”

One more picture.  This is the booth next to ours:

This is the Valero booth.  Not only do big oil companies pay for Republican Congressmen, they also pay for really expensive festival booths.  Next time you fill up at the pump and pay record high prices, think about this booth.  We were told it cost Valero 60 grand to build, about 4 times the cost of this year’s Ques Brothers booth.  This booth is to BBQ Fest booths as the Ford Excursion is to vehicles.

All right.  Time to crank it up again.  My plans for the day:

  • 11:00-11:45 AM:  Flying Saucer, because I have a $5 gift certificate to cash in
  • 11:45 AM-midnight:  BBQ Fest
  • midnight-on:  Hollywood Disco/Raiford’s for ’80s and 40s

This is the second BBQ post in the past 10 hours, so be sure to check out my previous post for the initial round of BBQ Fest recapping.  Also don’t miss the Ques Brothers 2008 photo album, with more pics added daily, and be sure to think of our sponsor Circa by John Bragg next time you want a great meal in Downtown Memphis.