RICHLAND — The same barbecue that the judges taste to choose the Grand Champion at Richland’s Pig Fest XIII Friday and Saturday will be available directly from the cooking teams that opt to sell their barbecue to the public. Now, everyone can get the “good stuff” that has created the legendary status barbecue cooking competitions enjoy.

Before the Pig Fest joined forces with the Georgia Barbecue Association, visitors were always befuddled by the fact that they were surrounded by some of the best barbecue in America, and they couldn’t even get a taste. Now they can take home all they can carry. That’s just one more reason for everyone to come out for Richland Pig Fest XIII this weekend.

Every competition team has a time-tested process for preparing and cooking their meat under very exacting conditions to a virtually perfect state. Most teams guard their secret ingredients like Coke® and Pepsi®. There’s good reason. The winner in each of three categories receives $500 at the Richland Pig Fest. The Grand Champion receives an additional $1,000. The top 10 finishers in each category receive trophies and the top five finishers receive cash prizes.

The results are based on “blind tasting.” A large panel of judges stationed in the historic hotel building tastes and scores every entry. The barbecue is turned in to the judges in a box marked with a number. The judges do not know who has cooked the meat they taste.

Each sample is judged on appearance, taste and texture. The results from each judge are entered into a computer program and the results are tabulated. There is very little chance of cronyism affecting the results since there can be as many as 30 judges tasting the entries.

This will be the 13th edition of the annual Richland Pig Fest. In addition to the cook team competition there will also be a carnival midway supplied by Gold Medal Shows of Barnesville. The carnival midway will be open from 5 p.m.-midnight Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m.-midnight Saturday.

Arts and crafts and commercial exhibitors will offer jewelry, photography, art, T-shirts and more on historic Broad Street. This year will feature live demonstrations of woodturning by Bi-City Woodturners of Columbus and Phenix City, Ala., in the Richardson Building at the west end of Broad Street. Don’t miss seeing these craftsmen at work.

Saturday morning will bring a motorcycle rally and poker run to Richland. There will be stops in Preston, Parrott and Weston. The poker run will return to Richland for motorcycle games about 1 p.m. where prizes will be awarded to the winning teams.

The Antique and Classic Car Show will also take place on Saturday morning. Southern Paint and Body and Richland Piggly Wiggly are sponsoring the show with Pig Fest XIII. The hosts will be Jeff Williams and Jessica Ellis of Southern Paint & Body.

The entry is free for all classic and antique car owners. Show up with your car at the event site on the corner of Wall and Broad streets between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning. There will be a $150 cash prize for “best in show” and $50 cash prizes for “best antique” and “best classic.”

The Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCOE) Army Band will perform a free Veterans Day weekend concert at 2 p.m. Saturday. The band will play a varied selection of patriotic music celebrating our American veterans. Mayor Adolph McLendon will present a proclamation from the city to the Army 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division during the intermission. The Third is the most deployed unit in the entire military during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Street dances will feature music by The Kelley Hart Band on Friday night from 6 p.m.–midnight on the main stage. Whisky Bent will perform Saturday night from 8 p.m.–midnight. Come out and enjoy the free concerts presented by these great bands and the Pig Fest Committee.

The team awards in the professional and amateur barbecue competition will be presented around 5:30 p.m., or as soon as judging is complete. This year, the “backyard division” is back. It features our local teams who do not wish to cook professionally.

Following the cook-team awards announcements at dusk Pyrotecnico/Vitale Family Fireworks Co. will present a fireworks extravaganza. For the first time at the Pig Fest, the display will take place almost directly over the stage and the audience. This promises to be a very memorable show.

Richland Better Hometown sponsors this community event in association with the City of Richland and our corporate sponsors: Jones Roll-Off, Albany Beverage Co., CCA/Stewart Detention Center, Controlled Climate Services, Farmers State Bank and Jacky Smith Insurance.