These butts are no joke!


Courtesy Photo. Meat meets the heat Saturday, Sept. 10 in Galesburg, where 14 chefs will compete in the 2022 Pork Butt Cook-off to raise money for Galesburg City Park.

By James R. Johnson •
news@tctribune.net
In 2020, the Galesburg Park Committee wanted to raise funds for playground equipment through a community get-together. The hope was that an investment in the community would entice other families to make their home in Galesburg.

So began the annual Galesburg Pork Butt Cook-off and Supper. The first year saw Mayor Judd Wilson as a cooking participant and Sheriff Steve Hunt as one of five judges who put down a lot of pulled pork and had some to take home for Sunday brunch. This year, the number of cooks is double-digit.

“Fourteen chefs! That’s exciting!” Casey Eggermont of the Galesburg Park Committee told the Tribune.

Those 14 cooks will put their meat to the fire at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 in Galesburg Community Park. The deadline for having their pork butt offerings before five judges is 5 p.m. There will be a People’s Choice selection. Votes may be cast between 2 and 3:30 p.m. and the winner will be announced after supper is served at 5:30 p.m.

Just the pork butt will be judged, no side dishes. Casey hopes that one day the GPC will organize a contest for pork ribs and may include desserts made on the barbecue/smoker.

But the 2022 Cook-off is expanding. Festivities start at 1 p.m. in the park with inflatable games for the kids, a vendor show, a 50/50 raffle, T-shirts, concessions, and a new attraction: a car/tractor show.

“Anything you want to bring on one, two, three or four wheels. If it’s a unicycle, we’ll take it!” Casey Eggermont says. “The first 25 entrants will receive a plaque. There will be a People’s Choice Award for that as well and we’re working on getting door prizes.”

There’s a corn hole tournament at 1 p.m. and the opening of the Harvest Moon Beer Garden. A kickball game kicks off at 3 p.m. 4-H kids will conduct face-painting and kids games at 3 p.m.

“We wanted to broaden the scope to have options that cater to a wide audience of people,” Eggermont said.

The dinner bell rings at 5:30 p.m., with the 50/50 drawing done then. There’s a $10 charge for pulled-pork meals, a $5 charge for BBQ meals for kids 10 years of age and under. (Not everyone has a steel gut.)

The proceeds go toward park equipment. The fundraising for the playground that started in 2020 is in the books. Thanks to a 50% matching grant from North Dakota Parks and Recreation and a 25% matching grant from Garrison Diversion Conservancy, the $90,000 price tag was popped and the new equipment should be installed by the end of September.

Eggermont says, “Proceeds will still go toward playground items. In the future, we’d like to have a shelter for picnics and more fundraising.”

In 2021, Tom Fietzek earned the People’s Choice trophy and Jessica Wika was selected by the judges as Pork Butt Cook-off Champion.

With 14 chefs in 2022, there should be leftovers for a large crowd. Eggermont concludes, “If you’re looking for small-town, early-fall fun on Sept. 10, Galesburg is the place to be.”

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