If you live in Northern Colorado, and love barbecue, Loveland is the place to be this weekend. The event, held in downtown Loveland at Fifth and Cleveland, starts today at noon and runs through tomorrow evening.
This is the third year for the Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned event. Each year, the event draws more competitors and more hungry barbecue fans. 49 teams are scheduled to compete in this year’s event. Admission is free, and food is purchased with $1 poker chips.
We attended Loveland Loves Barbecue for the first time last year, and were seriously impressed. Downtown was buzzing and the smell of smoking meat permeated the air. We made our way slowly through the event, eating pulled pork sandwiches and sampling from different vendors and competitors – it was a perfect way to spend an afternoon and we plan to do it again this year.
The 24th Annual Cherry Pie Celebration will also be held tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. at Peter’s Park (503 N. Lincoln Ave., outside the Loveland Museum Gallery). Pies, ice cream and beverages will be available to purchase and admission is free.
Both the barbecue and cherry pie events run simultaneously with Summer Fest in the Rockies, a wine, food and music event held at the Foote Lagoon at Civic Center Park, just east of downtown. For more on Summerfest visit, Engaging Loveland’s Website.
Also tonight, Night on the Town, Loveland’s very own art walk. Galleries and shops put out a spread of food and drinks to entice customers into their stores, and several downtown restaurants run Night on the Town specials.
All four events are within walking distance of one another.
Need help finding downtown Loveland? From I25, go West on Eisenhower Blvd. (Hwy 34) approximately 4.3 miles to Cleveland Avenue. Turn South (left) onto Cleveland. You will run right into historic downtown Loveland, located on and around 4th Street.
Downtown Loveland
Loveland may be known for sculpture, but it’s quickly gaining a reputation as a place for great barbecue!
Loveland Loves Barbecue 2008
(photos by H. M. Kerr-Schlaefer)