Highlight Printing, a local printer near downtown Mpls, sponsors the BBQ team “Full Frontal BBQ” and presents these results from the “Smokin’ In Steele” BBQ competition on May 27th, 2009.

Full Frontal BBQ is a competition BBQ team lead by team captain (and one of Highlight’s owners) Don Bickford.

 There are 5 “Championship” level BBQ events in MN: 

• MN in May, Austin, MN
• Smokin’ In Steele, Owatonna, MN
• Crow River Challenge, Watertown, MN
• Big Island BBQ, Albert Lea, MN
• SMSU Smokefest, Marshall, MN

This was the team’s first time at this event and one they are sure to attend again.  There was a beautiful tree-shaded grassy common area with BBQ vending, Harmonica lessons for the kids, Garden Tractor pulling contests, and Blues Music…all as a fund raiser for Special Olympics.   Don and team took home 3 plaques:

• Lucky Number 13 in chicken
• 4th place in Ribs
• 10th place in Brisket
• 7th place overall in a field of 45 very tough competitors!

Team member Lisa Bickford had this to say, “This was probably my favorite event ever – close to home (but far enough that I could nap on the way, which always starts a trip off right!), friendly people, and it was very well managed.  But mostly I appreciated the beautiful park-like setting and that my girls got to catch up with a girl they played with at a competition last year – the daughter of team “Smokin’ Pelletheads”:  http://www.smokinpelletheads.com/Home_Page.html

The next competition is the Crow River Challenge in July. Don will keep his BBQ skills sharp in anticipation of that event by cooking a few graduation parties for friends, catering the 5th annual “Smokin’ in the Summer Thank-You BBQ” for Highlight Printing and practice, practice, practice.

You can check out Don’s tweets @:  http://twitter.com/FullFrontalBbq

The author, Lisa Bickford, president of Highlight Printing, is a veteran of the printing industry and a lover of all things printed.  Since 1984 she has worked her way up through many areas of the industry before acquiring Highlight Printing in 1996 with her husband Don, who has also been in printing since the early 80’s.  The things she continues to find most satisfying are the wonderful business relationships that have developed with clients, vendors, & co-workers, and the energy that is created from challenge resolution.  You can email her directly at lisab@highlightprinting.com

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