Barbecue competition, bands highlight Shrine’s ‘Tunes & Blooms’ event at Botanica

The Midian Shrine Center wanted to expand its annual barbecue competition and increase exposure for its organization.

Finding the ideal spot at Botanica, the organization is debuting Tunes & Blooms this weekend.

“We just wanted to blend this into more of a family event over two days,” said Scott Shirkey, a member of Midian Shrine. “We used to do a Shrine Circus, but that’s gone away.”

The barbecue competition, sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, begins setup at noon Friday, with 15 competitors expected. A kids’ competition begins at 6 p.m. A cornhole competition begins at 6 as well, with the Llew Brown Band from 7-11 p.m.

Saturday begins with a 5K run at 9 a.m., with food trucks beginning sales at 10 a.m. Also at 10, the Midian Big Band will perform as part of a showcase of the Shriners.

“We’re going to highlight what we do as Shriners, with our bands and our clowns and what we do with kids,” Shirkey said.

The band Groove 42 plays throughout Saturday, with barbecue judging at noon.

Tickets are $10 for each day, or $15 for a two-day pass. Children 12 and younger are $8.

More information is available at tunesandbloomswichita.com.

Shirkey said Midian Shrine is hoping Tunes & Blooms becomes an annual event.

“We’ve had long discussions with Botanica about pushing this forward, making it bigger and better if we can,” he said.