Friday opening of Pigs & Swigs delightful to sublime

[June 03, 2019]  The 2019 Pigs and Swings Festival started off with no glitches. The opening on Friday and Friday evening was flawless: the weather was beautiful, attendees were abundant, dogs were anxious to perform, entertainers were amazing, and BBQ participants were ready for Saturday's Kansas City Barbeque Society 'Up in Smoke' competition.

The first cook-off competition for the weekend was the SCA Steak Cook-off sponsored by Lincoln McDonalds Millan/Petro Organization.

There were 39 competitors this year with six cash prizes to be awarded to the winners:

Sixth place $75
Fifth place $100
Fourth place $200
Third place $300
Second place $500
First place $1,000

Competitors drew numbers to determine the order that they would choose a ribeye provided by KCBS; no outside steaks were allowed. The cooks had about an hour and a half to prepare and cook the steaks for judging by any fire or heat source. A new rule this year was that steaks could not be touched after being presented to the judges. In the past the judges could help “present” the steaks before judging started. Steaks were judged on appearance, doneness, taste, texture, and overall impression.

The competition was scored according to KCBS rules and supervised by KCBS representatives.

Winners were announced at 9:00pm Friday night:

10th place - George O’Brien
Ninth place - Kevin Kelley
Eighth place - Steve Kwas
Seventh place - Dave Dojta
Sixth place - Corey Jensen
Fifth place - Tim Brown
Fourth place - Mark Graue
Third place - Tim Paulek
Second place - Brendan Dwyer
First place - Dakin Dalpoas

Winner Dakin Dalpoas is from Lincoln. Along with the prize money, Dalpoas received the Ace Hardware Golden Ticket to the SCA World Championship, which takes place in Fort Worth, Texas, in October.

In another corner of downtown, Leslie Bennett, sponsored by COUNTRY Financial – Michelle Bauer & Joe Ryan, took to the stage. Leslie has entertained Lincolnites for many years performing at venues around town. Her sweet voice filled the air, while those nearby danced to her selection of tunes.

At 8 p.m. Jack Dupp and the Empty Bottles from Normal, IL, sponsored by State Farm – Deron Powell, Rick Hamm, and Chris Coyne, took to the stage. Three of the band members hail from Lincoln, LCHS class of '95.

Offering tunes from Petty, Pink Floyd, Neil Young and others, the Swigs Homebrew side of the festival was crowded with folks enjoying the entertainment.

[Lisa Ramlow]