On Sept. 28 and 29, Families all over the West Couty area flanked to the Wildwood Town Center for the 8th Annual St. Louis Homefries Wildwood BBQ Bash.

The competition was hosted by Frank Schmer , owner of St. Louis Home Fires. After a dispute over funding and whether Schmer would  continue sponsoring the event, he decided to sponsor it for another year

 “People of all ages are here,” said junior Andria Barragan of Dos Hombres BBQ, “It’s very family oriented,”

 Over 100 local BBQ chefs and caterers were present, turning the Wildwood Town Square into an array of trailer grills and pop-up tents.

The competition lasted for two days and the competitors competed in categories including chicken, ribs, brisket, chef’s choice, chili, dessert, pork and pork steak.

“”This is the contest we look forward to each year, with several hundred friends planning to come,” Chip Caraway, “Porkin’ Ain’t Easy” team member said.

Families spent their afternoon parading up and down the promenade, sampling sandwiches and specialties from the large smorgasbord of slow-smoked cuisine.

There were many familiar faces present, like the wide-renowned PM BBQ, as well as handfuls of lesser known caterers searching for their spot among the alums.

 BBQ lunch items were not the only driving attractions. Multiple charities were there offering sodas and water. There were bouncy-castles and games for the kids, ice cream stands and a few homemade pie stands. Even the Kona Ice truck made an appearance.

There were also performances by the Funky Butt Barss Band, Voodoo Blues Band (featuring Roland Johnson), and Jeremiah Johnson on Saturday, and a performance by the Kingdom Brothers on Sunday.

 The BBQ Bash was not only an opportunity to discover new cookery, but also a chance for the Wildwood community to come together.

 “I like how it brings the community together,” said junior Brooke Bonderer, “Wildwood is not too big, and not too small, so it’s really good to bring all these different people together,”