Talk of the Town - The whole hog June 05 2003

Whether it’s a hunka hunka burnin’ love or a hunk of smoked pig, the annual Beaux-Arts Barbecue Beach Party in Clayton County plans on delivering a little of both.

The main attraction is the ‘cue. With hundreds of smokers and grills fired up and the heat rising, the scene quickly becomes a barbecue-and-beer kind of crowd.

“It’s either a barbecue lover’s heaven or hell,” says Stacey Dickson.

She never realized what kind of work went into such a production before she participated in last year’s amateur competition.

“We worked our guts out,” says Dickson. “I thought you set up a grill and cooked, but it was so much more.”

All day Saturday, professional cooking teams from throughout the Southeast compete in the whole hog, shoulder and ribs categories. Amateur groups also enter in their own separate competition. Perhaps the most fun is when the two groups co-mingle for the “Anything Butt ...(Pork)” contest, where things get mixed up with stuffed filets grilled next to wild game or hundreds of ears of corn.

And if that doesn’t get things cookin’, an Elvis impersonation contest, featuring dozens of men in flashy sequins and leotards, takes place. Now all that’s missing are some grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

Free. $5 for Championship BBQ tasting. Proceeds benefit children’s programs through Arts Clayton. Fri., June 6, 6-10 p.m.; Sat., June 7, 10 a.m. The Beach at Clayton County International Park, 2300 Highway 138, Jonesboro. 770-473-0848. www.artsclayton.org.