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Barbecue, Bugs and Yard Sales

"Big Daddy's" 2002 Eureka Springs Championship Barbecue Cookoff and VW Weekend !

The weekend of August 10th and the weekend of the 23 and 24th of 2002 you don't want to be anywhere else but in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Just two of the great events weekends scheduled in one eclectic little town that promises to be two of hottest weekends of the year, regardless of the weather.

Actually you should plan to start your weekend early on the 9th for the annual Yards & Yards of Yard Sales.We've all heard the saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure" and nowhere does this ring more true than in Eureka Springs.
This yearly event brings out the treasures buried in closets, garages, basements and storage buildings and puts them up for sale. All over town people set up their "trash" and hope you find the "treasure" you are looking for. This event is as much a social event as anything, and if you have never seen one yard sale after another all over town this is definitely one to behold.

8/9/2002 - thru 08/10/02 Yards & Yards of Yard Sales7am-3pm daily. For more information call Anne Moore at the Greater Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-6EUREKA.
Chamber of Commerce Web Site

Starting on the 10th is "Big Daddy's" 2002 Eureka Springs Championship Barbecue Cookoffto be held at the Victorian Inn and Convention Center.
This is a brand new event for Eureka Springs and one that founder "Big Daddy" Lawrence Dyson hopes will become an annual event.
After a long career in the touring music industry Lawrence moved to Eureka a couple of years ago and started Big Daddy's Bar-B-Q (in downtown Eureka Springs look for the waterfall). Big Daddy quickly became well known and his outgoing personality made him quickly well liked.
After getting his business established he decided he wanted to do something to give back to the town and the people that helped him and the idea of the Eureka Springs Championship Barbecue Cookoff was born.

Lawrence has spent his winter planning, researching and organizing this event which is sure to be a major blast. Everybody likes barbecue, it's one of the true American cuisines and it's not everyday that some of the best in the region gather to compete for cash prizes (top prize is $1,000, so you know it's going to be some serious competition) and the bragging rights that go along with being called Grand Champion!
And of course this is not just about who's the best, it's also about enjoying great barbecue. Tickets are available so visitors can expect to be able to eat some great barbecue prepared by some of the best in the business.

To earn the title of Grand Champion or Reserve Grand Champion, teams must compete in all of the following categories. Pork ribs, chicken, pork (butt/shoulder) and beef brisket with an optional category for sauce. In addition to the two championship titles, first through fifth place will be awarded for each category.
So be sure to make plans to attend "Big Daddy's" 2002 Eureka Springs Championship Barbecue Cookoffand come experience true southern hospitality at it's finest.

From the humble beginnings in the 1930's to present day, the entire world has held a fascination with the little car that was born from the labors of Ferdinand Porsche, no not the Porsche, but rather "the car for the people", the Volkswagen!
August 23-25, 2002 sees the 10th anniversary celebration of VW's in Eureka Springs. Even if you aren't a VW buff this is one that must be seen to be believed.

Imagine a long line of all sorts of Volkswagens in parade, winding their way through the streets of Eureka Springs. Beetles, Karman Ghias, Things (VW's answer to an SUV), Buses, Dune Buggies and others turn out in all their glory to the delight of parade spectators.

The dream of Michael Mountjoy, this has become one of the largest and most prestigious Volkswagen events in the Midwest. Michael teamed with Dave Heilemann and the two of them formed the North West Arkansas Volkswagen Association. They quickly found out that forming the club was the easy part since within a short amount of time they had 80 entries for their first show.

The parade is just one part of this event. This also being a competitive event all entries are judged on various categories competing for the chance to take home a trophy.
Need parts for your VW fix up project? You can probably find it at the swap meet that goes along with the parade and competition.

But wait, there's more! The annual Tourcade, where the Volkswagens all tour the countryside surrounding Eureka Springs. What a sight that must be for the unaware motorists as this long line of VW's passes by.

Northwest Arkansas Volkswagen Association web site

So there you have it, two great weekends filled with 3 totally different events offering something that is sure to please even the most discriminating visitor to our little town. Be sure to mark your calendars for these are a couple of weekends that you do not want to miss.