NEW MADRID, Mo. - When New Madrid celebrates the nation’s 245th birthday, there will be plenty for locals and visitors to enjoy and New Madrid resident Laura Griffin is looking forward to all of it.
Griffin and her family will be among the vendors setting up in the lot at the corner of Waters and Kingshighway along the Mississippi River levee on Saturday. Their stand will be in support of their non-profit business, Hope Exchange, which benefits those with and recovering from cancer.
‘We will be doing hamburgers and cheeseburgers,” Griffin said. “We fix them on a burger press just like the old-fashion ones. We even grill onions to go on them if you want. That makes them so-o-o-o good.”
According to Griffin participating in the day-long event is their way to support their community where they do business.
“I enjoy serving the people and raising money for our cause,” she said then added with a laugh. “But I’m a talker so I enjoy seeing people we haven’t seen in a while, too.”
Ending the celebration with fireworks over the Mississippi River is also a special part of the day for her.
“You can’t separate fireworks and the Fourth of July. They go hand in hand,” Griffin said. “I am so appreciative of Christina McWaters and the city workers for the work they put in. You can’t thank those people enough. They do such a good job to see that things go off smoothly.”
McWaters, executive director of the New Madrid Chamber of Commerce, said the barbecue competition is always one of the big draws to the annual celebration.
Entries will be accepted through Friday to the Barbecue Cook Off, which will give chefs the opportunity to display they cooking skills with chicken thighs, baby back ribs and pork steaks. First place winners in each category will receive $100 with $300 awarded to the reserve champion and $600 to the grand champion.
Set up will begin at 6 a.m. Saturday. Teams must provide all necessary equipment including cooking equipment, tents, tables, chairs, extension cords, etc. Also each team will bring their own products including raw, unseasoned meats and seasonings.
Teams will check in at 8 a.m. when the raw and uncooked meat will be presented for inspection. Cooking will begin at 8:30 a.m.
Each team must prepare five individual pieces of meat or servings in each category for the blind judging. The chicken turn-in will be at 2:30 p.m. followed by pork steak turn-in at 3 p.m. and rib turn-in at 3:30 p.m.
The cost to enter is $50.
Some of the teams will sell their barbecue to the public as well, McWaters said.
Arts and crafts vendors are still being welcomed, she added. There is no charge for a 10 by 10-foot space, however vendors should bring their own tables, chairs, tents, etc.
For an application for either the barbecue competition or to be a vendor, email the New Madrid Chamber of Commerce at chambernm@yahoo.com or call 573-748-5300.
McWaters said New Madrid will be a great place to spend Saturday. She noted in addition to the food vendors, arts and crafts booths and barbecue competition, the New Madrid Museum and the Hunter-Dawson State Historic Site are open as well.
“This is one of the first opportunities we have had in while to come together,” McWaters continued. “We hope people will enjoy time with their families and come together as a community.”
The fireworks display will begin at dusk with the public able to gather along the Mississippi River levee.
“It is a great place to view the fireworks,” McWaters said. “It is really pretty.”