Last night was the first night at Tom Lee Park, for Friends & Family Night of Memphis in May BBQ Fest. It’s a night to get acquainted with new teammates and the booth.
Our booth facade
Jeremy and Graham in front of the WordPress logo
Our pitmaster, Chef David Scott Walker
Downstairs
Upstairs
The “burger dog.” Chef DSW kept it simple with picnic fare last night, but today things get fancier with a fish fry and a whole hog luau.
Members of Voodoo Que stopped by
Jello shots made with Fireball
We have all the accessories needed for a good time at BBQ Fest
A familiar sight
Puckett getting down
Tube Shots. Wear a tube top to our booth and you might get a Tube Shot.
Moody Ques after dark
Many of the team left early to watch the Grizzlies. I walked to our sponsor the Blind Bear to watch the Grizz advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time ever.
Complete photo album (62 photos) here.
Okay, a couple of “first impression” comments:
1) I entered the park at 5:30 and it’s about a 15 minute walk south to our booth. When I got there there was already food coming off the grill. Seems like the previous two years at Friends & Family Night there was nothing to eat before about 9 PM. Chef DSW is serious about feeding us, and winning. And it seems like he’s having a really good time doing it.
2) In the seven years I’ve been a BBQ team member, this is easily our best booth design ever. Both upstairs and down are open and spacious. One person commented, “It’s not a maze like it was last year.” That downstairs space is going to make a great dance floor tonight, with playlist by DJ Cody. Also note that we hid the bar from the sidewalk while consuming the minimum amount of space doing it. Visible bar from the sidewalk is tantamount to announcing “Free Drinks Here; Come Mooch.” Absolute A+ to the people who designed the booth.
And we flew the flag right side up!
Two former team members told me “Oh my God, Paul, if we had any idea it would be this awesome, we would have joined this year. We’re back next year.” Also, I already had a new team member saying she has a friend who is a prospect for next year’s team. BBQ Fest never goes perfectly but I think it’s safe to say we are on an upward trajectory this year.
Today is going to be a blast. I’ll pre-game with a beer or two at the Flying Saucer at 11, then hit the park.