By MATT PIKE
The first ever Wild West Sloppy Joe Fest is coming up next week in downtown St. Joseph,
Presented by Main Street St. Joseph and the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, the event will bring the community together for a unique cook off between 12 teams of the best Sloppy Joe recipes in the area.
Director of the St. Joseph Community Alliance Tom Brand says while all the teams for the cook off are full, there is still opportunities for the community to be involved.
"You can get yourself some tickets to do the tasting, or the best opportunity is we're looking for people to be involved in the Sloppy Joe eating contest," Brand says on the KFEQmunnity show.
Tickets to taste the sandwiches can be purchased online. For the eating competition, Brand says there will different age divisions.
"We are looking for competitors, so you have a chance to sign up, and we'll put a bib on you and put you to work that way," Brand explains. "So, you could get 12 and then go be a part of the eating contest and top it off."
To enter the eating contest, or see if there is still room, you can email Kristi Bailey at the Chamber of Commerce for the consent form and to sign up. Brand says he hopes this is an event that can on and be an annual event.
"This came together really with the idea of how do we embrace some of our local history, our local heritage, with a nod to the wild west?" Brand says. "World Cup visitors have been showing up in pockets here and there, and one of the things we've learned, especially the European visitors, but really all those that have come to visit for the World Cup, they're looking for experiences around the area."
The Wild West Sloppy Joe Fest will be held July 10th from 4 to 8pm in downtown St. Joseph. Along with the competition, there will be music, hayrides, vendors, and frontier reenactors among other festivities.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.