This is the biggest annual fundraiser for the Shipman Memorial Youth Center in Lake Placid, and without your support by visiting the festival, the facility would not be able to serve the town’s children, ages 10 to 18, giving them a safe place to congregate after school.

Dmitry Feld, Gordy Sheer and the rest of the USA Luge family who organize the festival have been working hard to make sure this event stays around and grows every year. After the COVID pandemic, it is now the only remaining event in New York state sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society.

Dmitry has 24 barbecue teams signed up for competition, and Gordy has a number of musicians from around the region performing, including the internationally acclaimed Gibson Brothers bluegrass band on Friday evening. Plus there’s the BMX bike show and professional wrestling. And visitors will have a number of chances to eat barbecue, including the Buck-A-Rib contest Saturday.

Admission, other than the $15 ticket for the Gibson Brothers concert, is only $6 (free for kids under 10). Learn more at www.ilbbqf.com.