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I Love BBQ and Music Festival
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I Love BBQ and Music Festival in Lake Placid, July 6-8,
sees no shortage of teams and volunteers
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USA Luge gives back to its home community by organizing the festival
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Lake Placid, NY – June 2018 / Newsmaker Alert / The calls actually starting coming to event organizer Dmitry Feld in mid-winter. Now in its 13th year, barbecue teams can’t get enough of a good time in beautiful Adirondack weather while simultaneously helping a local charitable cause.

Such is the backdrop for the annual I Love BBQ and Music Festival, set for July 6-8 on Lake Placid’s Olympic Speedskating Oval.

“While we’re in the middle of our luge season, emails are coming to me from teams in Canada and the U.S. to make sure they can come to our event,” said USA Luge Marketing Manager Dmitry Feld, who moonlights as the point person for this festival that benefits the local Shipman Youth Center. It’s anticipated that this year’s festival will bring total fundraising above $250,000 for the 13 years.

In all, Feld said there are a record-tying 41 teams registered as of June 21, with a few more days prior to the entry deadline. Another record has also fallen as 12 Canadian crews are already entered, surpassing the previous high-water mark of 10. Also, Slapshot BBQ from Willow Spring, N.C. is the frontrunner for the team traveling the furthest distance to Lake Placid.

Special notice goes to Boar-N-Q from Monson, Mass. which will have participated in all 13 years; V-licious BBQ, an all-star squad from around the nation, that started in the junior division and continues to attend annually; and Miller’s Backyard BBQ from Mechanicville, N.Y., which will look to become Grand Champions for the third time.

They will all compete in events including the Northeast BBQ Society Grilling Bash, Kids in the Kitchen, Top Chef, Youth World Championships, Kansas City BBQ Society, the new North American BBQ Brawl and other categories.

“When we started this, I could never imagine so many teams would come to Lake Placid for our fundraiser,” continued Feld. “We have BBQ crews and pit masters that cover so many ages. It’s great to see them year after year. And I know that our guests enjoy tasting their specialties in events such as the Best Ribs in the East.”

To accommodate the expanding number of participants and give them the attention and service they deserve, Feld has stated that he’s relying on 75 volunteers who contribute to the event under hot sun, steady rain or chilly conditions.

“We couldn’t have such a successful festival without the tireless work of our volunteer teams,” he remarked. “We have to take care of the barbecue teams, the bands, the sponsors and of course, the patrons who make this the hit event that it’s become. I am indebted to the volunteers who help me, never complain and continue to elevate the event.”

At the I Love BBQ and Music festival, special guests receive special treatment as members of the military, past and present, and their families, as well as First Responders and families, can attend the festival free of charge with identification.

The 13th year merges a worthy cause, great eats, barbecue competition, the region’s top musicians and jaw-dropping BMX freestyle bike exhibitions.

The festival has received kudos from the Kansas City Barbecue Society, delish.com, Rachel Ray, Huffington Post and an eighth-place finish in 2016 in USA Today’s 10Best BBQ Festivals. It is also considered a 2018 summer festival to attend by Family Vacation Critic.

There is a complete schedule of events, including kids’ culinary competitions, World Championships and musical acts at: www.ILBBQF.com/schedule-of-events.

Although a number of vendors offer summertime barbecue fare at the festival, over the years there has been an increasing demand from the public to taste the products from the teams.

On July 7-8, the aforementioned Best Ribs in the East will be offered for a nominal fee, allowing the public to sample the best of the participating teams.

In addition, the I Love BBQ and Music Festival and the I Love New York Horse Show have partnered to offer reciprocal admission. Anyone holding a pass to one of these events will receive complimentary admission to the other.

Daily admission is $6, with youngsters under 10 admitted free of charge. The festival is alcohol and tobacco-free.

Tentative music schedule:
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I Love BBQ and Music Festival
I Love BBQ and Music Festival
I Love BBQ and Music Festival
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The success of the I Love BBQ and Music Festival is made possible by the following sponsors and supporters: Henry and Mildred Uihlein Foundation, Robert and Doreen Imbriani, Best Western Adirondack Inn, NBT Bank, Bernard and Karen Dayan, Norton Saint-Gobain, ORDA, Taylor family, WSLP 93.3 FM, The UPS Store, USA Luge, Casella Waste Management, Cape Air, Cushman Productions, Connecting Youth and Communities, Ward family, Lions Club of Lake Placid, Free and Accepted Masons of Lake Placid, Lake Placid Central School District, Community Bank, Lake Placid News, Bear Essentials, Coca-Cola, Saranac Beverages, Cornell University Uihlein Forest, Lake Placid Summit Hotel, Placid Productions, Price Chopper Supermarket, US Olympic Training Center, McDonald’s of Lake Placid, Adirondack Bank, High Peaks Ford, Blue Moon Cafe, Lake Placid Family Dental, Coakley High Peaks Hardware, Foreverwild.com, Guideboat Realty, Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort, Lisa G’s, Meister Accounting, Northeast BBQ Society, Merrill Thomas Real Estate, Hannaford Supermarket, High Peaks Resort, Burnham Benefit Advisors, Wildwood on the Lake, Greg Peacock, Adirondac Rafting Company, The Olive Oil Factory, Queen family, Mountain Dental, Margaret Sears; Hotel North Woods; Cobble Mountain Lodge. Visit www.ILBBQF.com for more information.

Special thanks to the Village of Lake Placid, Town of North Elba, Lake Placid Volunteer Fire Department, Lake Placid Police Department, Lake Placid Volunteer Ambulance Service, Butch Martin and the North Elba Park District.

ILBBQ on Facebook

Media Contact:
Sandy Caligiore
518-523-2071 Ext. 112
Twitter.com/USA_Luge

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Publishing Dates: 06/26/18 – 08/26/18
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