Published: July 18, 2008 11:35 pm         

Clabber Girl Brickyard BBQ Festival continues to grow

TERRE HAUTE — As the number of events for the Clabber Girl Brickyard BBQ Fest grow, organizers hope attendance grows, also.

“Each year we continue to add things and continue to find ways to incorporate more activities and kind of bring things to interest everybody,” said Teresa Shaffer, a Clabber Girl spokeswoman, “so we have something for everybody.”

This is the fourth year for the event, which runs noon to midnight today in the Clabber Girl Festival Marketplace on Ninth Street between Wabash Avenue and Cherry Street.

New at the festival this year is a Cruise-in Bike Show, Colts In Motion, a rock climbing wall, Sinden Racing’s NASCAR and IndyCar simulators, a dunk tank with local business leaders to dunk and a corn-hole tournament.

Most notably known at tailgating events, corn-hole is similar to a bean bag toss, Shaffer explained. Though some have pre-registered, she said registration will be available before the tournament begins at 1 p.m. It’s $50 per team.

The Cruise-in Bike Show will run from noon to 3 p.m. and the Cruise-in Car Show from 4 to 8 p.m.

Nine barbecue vendors are expected along with five contestants for the amateur barbecue contest, Shaffer said. Awards will be given out for the People’s Choice and Grand Champion in the pork ribs, chicken, pulled pork and “anything but” categories. The Terminal will host a beer garden.

Proceeds from the festival will benefit United Way of the Wabash Valley as it begins its annual pilot campaign. Donations of non-perishable, nutritious food will be accepted for the Catholic Charities Terre Haute, a United Way agency, at the United Way booth all day. Only canned food or food in plastic containers will be accepted.

Terre Haute Catholic Charities Food Bank distributes to 120 food-distributing charities in the Wabash Valley every year. Last year, it disbursed more than 1.5 million pounds of food. Demand has been higher this year, in part, because of last month’s flood, a Clabber Girl news release stated.

“Our supplies are running low, and when Clabber Girl called us and offered to do a food drive at the BBQ Fest, we were extremely pleased,” said John Etling, director of the Catholic Charities Terre Haute, in the news release.

People also can donate blood at the Indiana Blood Bus.

Four bands — Backroads Band, the Midwest Playboys, Side Project and Telluride — will provide live entertainment beginning at noon. Backroads Band will start at noon with the Midwest Playboys going on at 4 p.m. Telluride, a Nashville recording group, is expected to go on between 8 and 8:30 p.m.

Clabber Girl will be open for breakfast as usual at 8 a.m. and will remain open until 7 p.m. for those who may need a break from the heat.

“It’s going to be hot, but we can take the heat,” Shaffer said. “At least it’s not going to be raining.”

Crystal Garcia can be reached at (812) 231-4271 or crystal.garcia@tribstar.com.