Ferdinand Heimatfest opens registration for Backyard BBQ Contest, June 20 event

Ferdinand’s June 20 Heimatfest weekend will give backyard pitmasters a $25 shot at cash prizes and pull barbecue fans to the Ferdinand Community Center, where sampling will run from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern for $7 per person.

Registration is open for the Backyard BBQ Contest, a familiar Heimatfest draw that turns one summer Saturday into a competition for chicken, ribs, pulled pork and brisket. Best Home Furnishings is sponsoring the event, and the payout gives local cooks a real reason to bring their best smoke and seasoning to town. The overall winner will receive $500, the runner-up will get $250, and the top entry in each category will also earn an award.

The contest fits into a larger festival that organizers say is meant to help Ferdinand prosper by helping Dubois County grow. Heimatfest says money raised through the event is donated to the Ferdinand Community Endowment and the Dubois County Community Foundation, which ties the barbecue contest directly to local giving as well as summer entertainment.

For residents, the public sampling is part of the appeal. It means the contest is not limited to competing teams and judges, but also gives families and visitors a chance to taste the entries and spend part of the afternoon at the Community Center. That kind of stop can add traffic for the festival, build turnout for Heimatfest weekend and keep the downtown energy moving through Ferdinand.

The Backyard BBQ Contest has used the same $25 entry fee and $500 and $250 top prizes in prior years, showing it has become a steady part of the festival’s identity rather than a one-time addition. WJTS listed barbecue sampling in the 2025 schedule from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., reinforcing that the contest has remained a repeat attraction alongside the rest of the festival’s lineup.

Heimatfest itself is held on the third weekend in June, and the 2025 edition was described as the 30th annual Ferdinand Heimatfest. This year’s contest keeps that tradition in motion while giving local cooks, returning teams and first-timers a concrete reason to enter. Registration is available through the event website, the Ferdinand Heimatfest Facebook page or by contacting Derek Schlachter directly.

For Ferdinand, the contest is more than a cook-off. It is a small but visible piece of a festival built around hometown pride, local spending and a summer crowd that keeps coming back to the Community Center.