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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Members of the South Pork barbecue team celebrate winning the overall award in the professional division at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Leonard Hill of the Wyld Child team cuts up brisket at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Connor Pierce of Alabaaster, Alabama, tastes a bite of barbecue from the ServPro tent at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. With him are his father, Jeremy Pierce, and sister, Nikki Pierce.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Joseph Collins, at left and his sisters, Maria and Jasmine Collins, of Orange Park, Florida, eat shaved ice at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Terry Russell of Rainsville, Alabama, at right, tastes some barbecue while serving as a judge in the professional competition at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Hometown Lenders employee April Pendergrass entertains the crowd at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Justin McKenzie, the chief chef and "grill daddy" for the Fultondale Fire Department's barbecue team, pulls chicken off the grill at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Tara Poe and her son, MIchael Poe, of the Riverchase community in Hoover, Alabama, sample barbecue at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Talk show hosts A.J. Johnson, at left, and Richard Dixon of the 99.5 talk radio station show some of the barbecue they were sampling as judges at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Laddy Ratliff of the Fat, Drunk & Stupid barbecue team from Huntsville, Alabama, dresses up their Australian master kobe beef brisket before sending it to the judges at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Hampton Hilliard of Coker, Alabama, at right, and Debbie Storley of Horn Lake, Mississippi, judge the appearance of some barbecue at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Charles Farrow of Montgomery, Alabama, at left and Cathy Hagler of Northport, Alabama, serve as judges in the professional division at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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People make their way from tent to tent at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Christy King prepares barbecue samples for the public at the Fultondale Fire Department's tent at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Jaime Cox, in black, and Patti Beavers serve barbecue at the Pelham Fire Department tent at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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People wait in line for barbecue at the Wyld Child tent at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Justin McKenzie, the chief chef and "grill daddy" for the Fultondale Fire Department, center, accepts the first-place trophy for brisket in the corporate/first responder division at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. Presenting the trophy were 99.5 radio talk show host Matt Murphy, at left, and Hometown Lenders Marketing Director Chris Mileski.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Representatives for the Springville Fire Department took home the People's Choice Award in the corporate/first responder division at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. The Springville Fire Department also won first place for ribs and second place for pork and brisket. Presenting the trophies was Hometown Lenders Marketing Director Chris Mileski, at right,
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Hometown Lenders Marketing Director Chris Mileski, at right, congratulates a member of the Pelham Fire Department barbecue team for winning second place in the ribs category for the corporate?first responder division at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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99.5 talk radio host Matt Murphy, at left, and Hometown Lenders Marketing Director Chris Mileski, center present the first-place trophy for pork in the corporate/first responder division to the Corner Fire Department at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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The ServPro barbecue team accepts the first-place trophy for chicken in the corporate/first responder division at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. Presenting the trophy, in back, are 99.5 radio talk show host Matt Murphy and Hometown Lending Marketing Director Chris Mileski.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Justin McKenzie, the chief chef and "grill daddy" for the Fultondale Fire Department barbecue team, at left, accepts the second-place trophy for chicken in the corporate/first responder division at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. Presenting the trophy was Hometown Lenders Marketing Director Chris Mileski. The Fultondale Fire Department also won first place for brisket.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Hometown Lenders Marketing Director Chris Mileski, at right, presents the overall top award in the professional division to the South Pork team at the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
At least 20 teams competed in the Hometown Backyard BBQ Bash at the Hoover RV Park on Saturday.
Scott and Suzanne Burton, a husband-and-wife team from Madison, Alabama, that goes by the name South Pork, captured the overall award in the professional division, while the Springville Fire Department won the People’s Choice Award in the corporate/first responder division.
South Pork took first place in chicken and ribs, second in pork and fourth in brisket among 15 teams in the professional division. Other teams in the overall top five were Piglitically Incorrect in second, Vallee AC Cold Smoke in third, Fat, Drunk & Stupid in fourth and 2 Men and a Pig in fifth.
In the corporate/first responder division, the Springville Fire Department took first place in ribs and second place in pork and brisket. The Corner Fire Department won first place in pork and second in chicken.
ServPro won the chicken category, and the Pelham Fire Department came in second in ribs.
People paid $10 per person to walk around to various tents and sample the barbecue, with the proceeds going to $2,000 scholarships for children of first responders in Alabama.
Chris Mileski, the marketing director for Hometown Lenders, which organized the event, estimated there were probably close to 1,000 people in attendance. He said he was pleased with the turnout, especially given that rain drizzled from the sky during most of the event.
Organizers originally had expected many more teams competing. Mileski said about 80 teams had registered as of early July, but the vast majority of them ended up not being able to come.
There were nearly 20 teams last year, which was the first year for the event. This year, the competition was sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society and thus opened up to professional teams in a separate division that were judged by about 15 professional judges.
Judges for the corporate/first responder division included 99.5 radio talk show hosts Leland Whaley, A.J. Johnson, Matt Murphy and Richard Dixon, Hoover Sun reporter Jon Anderson and Jalene Peaspanen, owner of Sew Nice Embroidery, Printing and Promotion in Ashville.
Jeremy Pierce of Alabaster said he and his children decided to come to the competition after he heard about it on the radio. “It’s going to a good cause, and we’re just trying to help the community,” he said. “It’s great. It’s a tough competition. There’s some pretty good stuff.”
Tara Poe of the Riverchase community in Hoover, came with her son, Michael. They usually attend the Pig Iron BBQ Challenge put on by Children’s Harbor at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in the fall and decided to check this competition out, too.
Joshua and Melanie Collins of Orange Park, Florida, were staying in the Hoover RV Park on their way back home from their cabin in Arizona when they found out about contest and decided to give it a try with their three children.
When Joshua Collins found out proceeds from the event are going toward scholarships for children of first responders, he gave an extra donation, he said.
“Education is important for our country, especially for the young generation coming up,” he said.
Mileski said he expects the competition will return for a third year next year.
