Pacific outlines schedule, vendors and sponsorships for Route 66 Barbecue Battle & Bluegrass Festival

Pacific tourism organizers gave detailed updates on the Route 66 Barbecue Battle & Bluegrass Festival, including dates, event programming, vendor fees, sponsorship tiers and logistics for parking and accessibility.

The festival will run three days in June. Friday features a people's-choice tasting and a family movie night; Saturday is the main competition day with sanctioned barbecue judging and multiple bluegrass bands; Sunday hosts a local barbecue contest and family activities. "Friday, it's from 5 to 10... Saturday, it goes from 10 to 9... and on Sunday, we're just going from 10 to 4," the director said.

Organizers described both sanctioned and local competitions: sanctioned teams pay a sanctioning fee (between $225 and $300, depending on size) plus an additional $50 to enter the People's Choice on Friday; the local competition and specialty events such as a Purina dog show and kids' entrepreneur area are scheduled for Saturday. A participant noted the local pork-steak contest entry fee is expected to be $30.

Sponsorship tiers were announced: a Festival Friend level at $100; Pitmaster at $500 (includes a free vendor/information booth); Bluegrass Backer and Highway Heroes tiers with additional benefits; and a top Route 66 Legend tier at $5,000 offering logo placement on event T-shirts and banners. Booth and vendor pricing includes 12-by-12 vendor spaces at $225 without electricity and $275 with electricity (limited availability); food-truck fees run $300 without power and $350 with power.

On logistics, parking will be street parking with blocked corners for sightlines, nearby commuter lots and a handicap parking area near the concession stand. "There's not [a shuttle] at this time," the director said about shuttle service; organizers said they will consider shuttles if demand grows in future years.

Organizers said they expect state sponsorship funds and noted one sign reimbursement: "we're getting about $17,000 back, so that cost us ... $1,500 for installation and then just the concrete pad," the tourism director said, referring to a Route 66 sign the state sponsored.

Organizers asked the commission for feedback on photo-op installations and a proposed oversized chair to be built using Centennial funds; sites under consideration include Bigfoot Plaza and Blackburn Park. They also discussed adding quilt-trail installations and face-in-cutout photo boards around town.

Why this matters: the festival is a major centennial- and tourism-related event intended to draw visitors to Pacific and showcase local businesses; sponsorships and vendor fees will fund programming and prizes.

What happens next: organizers will finalize vendor allocations (limited electrical hookups), continue sponsorship outreach and release a public information packet and flyers; they asked commissioners to help with promotion and to provide feedback on photo-op locations.