Back To News/PR Index
|

|
Owensboro Ushers in Summer Series of Parish Barbecue Picnics
|
St. Mary Magdalene Parish to mark its 100th annual event
|

From May through the end of September, the area’s Catholic churches celebrate tradition and raise a bit of money, too, at 22 parish barbecue picnics that serve tasty chicken, pork, mutton and burgoo to all comers. All are within a 45-minute radius of downtown Owensboro.

“Travelers crave authentic food experiences, and there’s nothing more authentic than western Kentucky barbecue and burgoo prepared by an experienced church cooking team. They’re serious about their barbecue and burgoo,” said Shannon Wetzel, executive director of Visit Owensboro.

Burgoo, for the uninitiated, is a meaty stew that originated in pioneer days. Along with barbecue mutton, it is one of the region’s traditional foods.

You’ll see burgoo bubbling in 60-gallon cauldrons at parish picnics. Sometimes, there are a half-dozen cauldrons in a row, each tended by stirrers who use long wooden paddles to keep the burgoo in motion.

“Some parish picnics are more elaborate than others, but you’ll often find cakewalks, kiddie rides, quilt raffles and other diversions to go along with all of that wonderful barbecue,” Wetzel said.

One is quite special – the June 27 picnic at St. Mary Magdalene Parish. It will be the parish’s 100th summer picnic. The St. Mary Magdelene cooking team has special bragging rights this year as winner of the Governor’s Cup at Owensboro’s International Bar-B-Q Festival.

Just seeing the meat on the fire is a spectacle. The cooking teams erect pits that can be 50 feet or more long and hold hundreds of chickens, along with dozens of pork butts and mutton quarters.

It’s easy to make a full weekend out of a parish picnic by combining it with Owensboro’s “Friday After 5,” a summer-long concert and family entertainment series. “Friday After 5” features many styles of music on five stages at RiverPark Center and in Smothers Park along the Ohio River.

Parish Picnic Schedule

• May 24 – 11 a.m. St. Mary of the Woods, Whitesville
• June 6 – 4 p.m. Precious Blood, Owensboro
• June 13 – 4 p.m. St. Pius Tenth, Owensboro
• June 20 – 3 p.m. Our Lady of Lourdes, Owensboro
• June 27 – 4 p.m. St. Mary Magdalene, Sorgho (100th picnic)
• July 4 – 11 a.m.-5 p.m. St. Denis, Fancy Farm
• July 11 – 12:30-7:30 p.m. Immaculate Conception, Hawesville
• July 11 – 4 p.m. St. Alphonsus, St. Joseph
• July 18 – 4 p.m. St. Peter of Alcantara, Stanley
• July 25 – 4 p.m. Blessed Mother, Owensboro
• Aug. 1 – 11 a.m. St. Jerome, Fancy Farm
• Aug. 1 – 12 Noon Blessed Sacrament, Owensboro
• Aug. 4 – 5 p.m. St. Martin, Rome
• Sept. 11-12 Holy Name Fall Festival, Henderson
• Sept. 13 – 10:30 a.m. Mount St. Joseph, Maple Mount
• Sept. 19 – 2-6 p.m. St. Stephen Cathedral, Owensboro
• Sept. 19 – 4 p.m. Christ the King, Madisonville
• Sept. 19 – 4 p.m. St. Columba, Lewisport
• Sept. 20 – 11 a.m. St. Lawrence/St. William Parishes
• Sept 26 – 3 p.m. Immaculate, Owensboro
• Sept. 27 – 11 a.m. St. Mary of the Woods, Whitesville

Contact:
Beck Glenn
Communications Manager
Visit Owensboro
800-489-1131
270-929-9995 (cell)

Connect with Visit Owensboro via Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.