Bel Air, MD – July, 16, 2015 – The Bel Air Downtown Alliance is pleased to announce that Visit Harford! will be joining the 2015 MD State BBQ Bash (August 14th & 15th) as the Title Sponsor.
“Visit Harford is excited to step up and support the Bash. It is definitely a county asset, and a great time, and that is what we are all about; supporting the things that work for our county,” said Patricia Parker, President of Visit Harford!. As the Title Sponsor for the Tailgate Challenge awards, Visit Harford! will be presenting the 1st through 5th Place Awards for the Tailgate Challenge and the Grand Champion (1st Place) and Reserve Champion (2nd Place) for the official Kansas City Barbecue Society / Maryland State BBQ Championship Grand Champion and Reserve Champion Awards.
“We are very excited to have Visit Harford! as our Title Sponsor this year and are honored that the BBQ Bash was chosen as one of their break-out vehicles as they launch the new private tourism office here in Harford County, ” reported Craig Ward, founder of the event and President on the Board of the Bel Air Downtown Alliance, the organization that hosts the MD State BBQ Bash. “We hope that this will be a long time partnership with Visit Harford! and that we can contribute to the combined success of tourism here in Harford County,” he added.
About the MD State BBQ Bash
Harford County MD’s most anticipated event of the year is the MD State BBQ Bash. Named as Harford County’s “Best Event” in 2012, 2013 and again in 2014, the MD State BBQ Bash is a barbecue themed street festival featuring the Maryland State BBQ Championship, with more than 50 competition teams from the Mid-Atlantic area and beyond competing for $12,500 in cash prizes and the chance to compete in the annual Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue in Lynchburg, TN and The American Royal in Kansas City, MO. In addition, more than 40 amateur teams will compete in the MD State BBQ Bash Tailgate Challenge to see who has the best ribs while competing for cash, prizes, and bragging rights. For more than 10 years, the MD State BBQ Bash has grown to be one of the largest, most fun, and most anticipated events of the year in Downtown Bel Air. Great food, great music, great people, the Maryland State Barbecue Championship and the MD State BBQ Bash Tailgate Challenge, have combined to create a tradition that we hope you will want to be a part of this year and in the years ahead.
The MD State BBQ Bash is free for the public and has regularly drawn nearly 25,000 attendees over two days. The MD State BBQ Bash is one of the most anticipated and exciting community events in Harford County, with a following throughout the Baltimore metropolitan region and beyond. As always, the MD State BBQ Bash is being brought to you by the Bel Air Downtown Alliance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, Main Street Maryland organization dedicated to creating a vibrant business community and visitor friendly destination in Downtown Bel Air, MD. This event is the largest fundraising effort for the Bel Air Downtown Alliance and 100% of the proceeds benefits the mission and is reinvested locally.
About Visit Harford!
Visit Harford! is the counties’ Destination Marketing Organization, with the mission of supporting tourism and tourism related activities for Harford County. Visit Harford was appointed the DMO after the County privatized tourism in 2015.
About the Bel Air Downtown Alliance
The Bel Air Downtown Alliance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community development organization whose mission is to mobilize stakeholders to invest in Bel Air’s neighborhoods, economy, and quality of life. The Alliance, one of 26 Main Street Maryland communities founded in 2001, is a volunteer network of local businesses and prominent citizens that focuses on enhancing Downtown Bel Air through the preservation of its appearance, traditions, community identity, and economic stability. If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Christine McPherson, please contact the Bel Air Downtown Alliance at (443) 823-1797 or Christine@DowntownBelAir.com.