Rhythm & BBQ brings live music, competition, and smoked meats to Goold Park

40 competitors will converge upon Goold Park from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 21 for the annual Rhythm & BBQ Fest benefiting Illinois Valley Industries.

Organizer Stan Knudson said not much has changed for this year’s event other than the headliner, a musician named Joe Flip.

“He’s going to bring some really cool sounds down for everyone to listen to,” Knudson said. “He’s got a lot of original music and some southern rock kind of things, like ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, kind of bluesy, southern rock.”

Knudson said Flip’s guitars are all made out of antique oil cans, and he makes the guitars himself.

“Just his equipment alone is gonna be really cool to check out,” Knudson said.

Also performing are Kenny P, a returning act last year and David Elger, a Morris native.

On top of the music, there will be 40 competitors competing in a Kansas City BBQ Society-sponsored competition. These competitors will barbecue chicken, beef and then a third special dish, which this year will be meatballs.

“I always love seeing the creativity of what folks are making with our different ideas,” Knudson said. “Last year, the special dish was beer and brats, and that was simple and straightforward, I thought. The stuff I saw was absolutely insane.”

Those attending the festival as a guest don’t get to try the competitor’s BBQ, but there will be plenty of food trucks selling their own BBQ during the festival for people to try out.

Knudson said this year’s event, and all events going forward, will be benefiting Illinois Valley Industries,which has been assisting adults with intellectual, development, sensory, physical and emotional barriers to define who they are, what they want to do and how they direct their lives through vocational, educational, social and residential services for over 50 years.

“They were so wonderful last year with their volunteer folks, and the help they gave in their fundraising with ticket sales was just really impressive,” Knudson said. “We just felt like a really good match with them.”