Mitchell Distributing is bringing Bud & Barbecue, a Kansas City BBQ Society (KCBS) sanctioned competition, to Meridian Feb. 24 and 25.

Barbecue enthusiasts from all over the region will compete for a portion of the $10,000 prize payouts, plus the opportunity to be a qualifier to the American Royal Invitational and the Jack Daniels World Champion Invitational Barbecue contest.

KCBS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and enjoying barbecue and is the world’s largest organization of barbecue and grilling enthusiasts with over 20,000 members worldwide.

Thirty teams will compete in both the professional and backyard category. While there are a few local teams participating, a majority of the teams come from all over Mississippi, plus several other states in the region including Alabama, Louisiana, and Missouri.

The festivities begin Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. with a kickoff event to Bud and Barbecue and Meridian Mardi Gras.

For a $10 admission fee, the public can come out and enjoy wings cooked from the teams and vote on their favorite team to win the People’s Choice award. The night will also include live music by Timmy Segars, cold Budweiser products as well as soft drinks and water available for sale, plus the chance for the community to come out and enjoy visiting with the teams. The kickoff event and the Bud & Barbecue competition will be held behind city hall in downtown Meridian.

The teams will start cooking on Saturday before the sun comes up and will spend most of the day cooking and turning in their meat to be judged. While there are no sampling events on Saturday, the public is welcome to come out and watch the teams as they cook and prepare their food. Meridian Mardi Gras will also be going on with two parades, delicious food, and live music.

Mitchell Companies Communications Manager Anna Grace Tanner is excited about the weekend’s festivities.

“We’ve talked for a couple years about having a sanctioned professional barbecue competition in Meridian and we’re excited to finally bring this event to our community,” said Tanner. “We’ve got many teams coming from all over the region, plus 45 judges all coming from outside of Meridian, so we are thrilled about the economic impact that we hope our community will receive that weekend. We’ve also enjoyed partnering with the city of Meridian to have a full weekend of fun activities with Bud and Barbecue and Meridian Mardi Gras.”

The winners will be announced Saturday around 3:30 p.m. on the main stage at Meridian Mardi Gras.

Sponsors include Mitchell Distributing as the presenting sponsor, plus Citizens National Bank, Glass, Inc., Southern Pipe, Trustmark National Bank, Waters International, and Glover, Young, Hammack, Walton, and Simmons Attorneys at Law.

For more information, contact Tanner at annagrace@mitchellcompanies.com or call the Mitchell Distributing office at 601-482-6161.