What's cooking at MeatFest? A few quick bites about the tasty new festival at Resch Expo
ASHWAUBENON - When it came to deciding on a name for its newest event, the creative minds at PMI Entertainment Group decided to keep it lean: MeatFest.
“We just thought the name would be funny and catchy, and so far it has been that,” said Amy Shadian, senior event designer with PMI’s Blue Green Events division. “People do kind of go ‘MeatFest?’ It’s food, family and fun basically.”
The idea is to help usher in summer by celebrating the glorious smell of a burger on the grill or brisket in the smoker, so there will be many meats as well as beverages, games and vendors selling everything from meat rubs to cutlery to bloody mary mix. It was originally planned for 2022 but postponed to allow the time needed to secure vendors, sponsors and entertainers for an event being built from scratch.
With lead sponsorship from Pelkin's Smokey Meat Market, MeatFest is starting small with plans to grow it into a full-blown annual festival that could spread out across Resch Plaza and perhaps one day spill onto Armed Forces Drive or all the way down to the Titletown District, Shadian said.
She's hoping affordably priced tickets for the inaugural year will bring in crowds curious to see what it's all about.
“We want them to be able to bring their families. I want it to smell good. I want it to taste good,” Shadian said. “I want them to buy things and be able to leave going, 'That was really cool. It was different. There’s nothing like this.'”
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When, where and how much is it?
MeatFest runs 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday inside and outside Resch Expo, 840 Armed Forces Drive. If you haven’t noticed, May weather has been a little unpredictable, so the majority of happenings are inside in case of rain or cold, but they’ll also extend out onto the Oneida Street plaza, where there will be picnic tables and a bar. If it’s a great weather day, the large hydraulic glass doors in the 40,000-square-foot Hall A that look out at Oneida Street and Lambeau Field will be opened up.
Advance tickets are $10 adults and $5 ages 13-17, military and first responders at ticketstaronline.com, 800-895-0071 and the Resch Center box office. Prices are $1 more day of. Children ages 12 and younger are free.
They have the meats, from bison pot roast to the humble bratwurst
If you’re going to call yourself MeatFest, you better be able to deliver on “Where’s the beef?” — and then some. From food trucks outside to vendors and cooking demonstrations inside, the offerings will include brisket, pulled pork, sausages, snack sticks, bacon, jerky and seafood.
Patrons will be able to purchase meals from the Maldonado’s, Bay Area Burger Co. and Scrapyard Smoker BBQ food trucks. Boy Scouts of America Troop 1107 of Howard will be outside serving up Pelkin’s brats, hot dogs and shredded beef.
Earth Sense Energy Systems will be sampling whatever it’s making on its pellet grills throughout the day, from bacon and pork tenderloin to pizza and cream cheese dip.
Many of the vendors inside will also offer samples, including Pelkin's, Parker John’s BBQ & Pizza (hickory-smoked pulled pork, mac and cheese), Nothing Bundt Cakes (mini cakes) and Pepsi.
Pelkin’s and Fabian Martinez, chef at Cedar & Sage Grill House at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center, will rotate cooking demonstrations throughout the day on one of two inside stages. People who stop by to watch will be able to sample what was made, including stuffed chicken breasts, tenderloin tips and bison pot roast.
Shadian’s hope is that all the fest’s samples give people a taste but attendees still have room in their belly to also purchase foods from vendors and food trucks.
Tickets for People's Choice competition are sold out
Bragging rights for the best chicken wings will be on the line during a cooking competition with the Meat Smoking Club of Wisconsin. During the first round, people who purchased separate People's Choice tickets, all of which sold out the first day, will do the tasting and vote for their favorites. During the second round, celebrity judges will choose winners.
It's a small competition this year, but it could grow into a sanctioned event down the road, Shadian said.
Kicking back in the beer garden with some tunes
There will be a wide variety of beverages available for purchase, including a bourbon bar that will have sampling by Kurvball Barbecue Whiskey for half the day and Jim Beam the other half. Guests can relax in the indoor beer garden with acoustic music by Leo Gorzinski IV (1-3 p.m.), Lillie Fouts (3-5 p.m.) and Parker Collar (5-7 p.m.).
In between all the eating, there is ax throwing, lawn games
Mischief & Magic, Commando Paintball Sports, 1st & Bowl and Dave & Buster’s will have free games and other activities for families. People can give ax throwing a try at no cost in the Appleton Axe trailer. HobbyTown is bringing some of its large remote-controlled cars. It’s free to take them for a quick spin in the ring or a $5 donation after the first 5 minutes, with donations going to Paul’s Pantry.
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @KendraMeinert.
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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: MeatFest at Resch Expo: What to know about the tasty new festival
