116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
BEST BET for weekend: BBQ Roundup
The 23rd annual Cedar Rapids BBQ Roundup this weekend serves up more than just its signature sizzling meats cooked on-site.
The four-day event also serves up sizzling stage sounds from local, regional and national musicians, including the Gin Blossoms and Willie Nelson's son, Lukas, and his band.
The roundup opens today, Thursday, June 24, 2010, and runs through Sunday, June 27, on the big lot at the corner of Eighth Avenue and Second Street SE. Daily admission is $3 for adults and free for ages 12 and under. But if you're hankering for something saucy for lunch today and Friday, admission is free from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
Concert Nights will bring out the smokin' hot music, free with the $3 event admission.
Gin Blossoms, those popular alt-rockers from Arizona, posted hits in the '90s with “Hey Jealousy,” “Allison Road,” “Until I Fall Away,” “Follow You Down” and “Found Out About You.”
They parted ways for a while, reunited in the '00s and will release a new album in September, titled “No Chocolate Cake.” No doubt fans will get a taste of the new material - or least a little enticing icing - when the group hits the stage at 8:30 p.m. Friday.
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real step into the spotlight at 8 p.m. Saturday. Nelson's PR says he was born in Austin, Texas, but raised in his father's Honeysuckle Rose bus. We can only imagine what he experienced from that window to the world.
Regardless of nature versus nurture, Nelson, 21, sounds just like his famous father. It's a little eerie, actually. Tune in to his tune “Awakening” on his MySpace page and hear for yourself. He also plays a mean guitar, backing his vocals with red-hot blues riffs.
He's part of a power-packed band that should blaze its own trails in the years to come.
But that's not all for this food-and-fun fest. Carnival rides will run throughout the event and Sunday is Family Day, with extra attractions and entertainment planned for the younger crowd.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. today (6/24/2010); 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday; 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
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Wayne Winners of Cleveland, Ohio's Porky 'N Beans, flips ribs on the stand's grill at BBQ Roundup on Thursday, June 24, 2010. The annual BBQ contest has moved back downtown and will continue through Sunday. Porky 'N Beans has won six of the last eight cookoffs they've competed in. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
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