FAQs2023-04-15T15:46:01+00:00

CAMPSITES FOR TEAMS WITH RVs

The form to reserve a campsite is part of the online team registration form. You can either choose to fill out the registration form online, or you can print the form and mail it in to this address: 
Golden Circle Special Needs Association
PO Box 1290
Fairfield, TX 75840
If you plan to mail the forms in, please email bigtmemorialcookoff@gmail.com to make sure we are watching for it. We will also reply to this email when we receive your form.

Available Hook-ups on site: 

  • RV spots with 30 amp hookups: $30 per hookup
  • RV spots with 50 amp hookups: $50 per hookup
  • Those with self-contained RVs not requiring a hookup: Free to park, space will be determined by size of RV and available space on the grounds.  

YES! If you’d like to park your RV at a campsite and only cook under a pavilion, you may do so. They are open air booths, and some have water and electricity. We WILL NOT be able to park any RVs at the spots with pavilions. There will be space to park BBQ pits only. There will be a spot on the registration form for those wanting a pavilion.They will be available on a first come, first serve basis. If you decide after you send in your registration that you’d like to reserve one, but didn’t include that on your form, please email us at bigtmemorialcookoff@gmail.com to ask if there are any still available. 

**Please note: staff members may have their RVs parked at pavilions (in order to free up the actual campsite spaces for teams), but these will be the only ones we will be able to accomodate in those spots. Space is very limited around the pavilions. 

We will do our best to accommodate all requests, but please realize that we are working with very limited space for hookups. When the hookups were first installed at the WL Moody Fairgrounds, RVs/campers were much smaller. Today’s RVs are much larger, so it takes a lot of Tetris-like work to get everyone parked. Please have some patience with us as we will do our best to please everyone. The quicker you get signed up, the quicker you are put on a list for a spot, and the more likely you are to get the spot you would like. 

Those with self-contained RVs, you will have more freedom to move around the grounds, and your space may be able to accommodate larger units. We will help you pick the right spot for you at check-in. If you plan to be self-contained, we will not be able to park you at a site where there is a hook-up to allow for maximum usage of the hookups.

We will open the move-in times starting on Thursday at 12:00 PM, and move-in will last until before the Cook’s Meeting on Friday evening. A more specific time frame will be announced before the week of the cook-off. *Please note that anyone parked before Thursday is a staff member or sponsor. We try to park them early to allow us to focus on our cook teams at move-in time.

We provide our Big T Memorial Cook-Off sponsors with RV spaces in return for their services and/or sponsorships. They will always get the first pick of spaces, and they are invited to move in early to ease the congestion. Those spaces will be marked as “claimed” before everyone else is allowed to purchase spots. If you see there are campers parked before everyone else, or a sign marking it as being held, this is why. Golden Circle Board Members will have their campers set up as well, and they will also be allowed to move in early to ease the congestion during move-in.

CAMPSITES FOR TEAMS WITHOUT RVs

Absolutely! There are many pavilions/booths available at the WL Moody Fairgrounds. These will be available for $30 for those wishing to cook with no RV. They are open air booths, and some have water and electricity. We WILL NOT be able to park any RVs at the spots with pavilions. There will be space to park BBQ pits only. There will be a spot on the registration form for those wanting a pavilion.They will be available on a first come, first serve basis. If you decide after you send in your registration that you’d like to reserve one, but didn’t include that on your form, please email us at bigtmemorialcookoff@gmail.com to ask if there are any still available. 

**Please note: staff members may have their RVs parked at pavilions (in order to free up the campsite spaces), but these will be the only ones we will be able to accomodate in those spots. 

You may also just park your rig out in the open field on site free of charge. This will be where we also park the self-contained RVs, but we can also accommodate teams without an RV in this large space. You can bring your own tents, tables, etc, and just set up camp wherever we can get you parked. There is a local company, Red Hat Rentals, that rents tents, tables, and chairs for events, and they will even set up camp for you. 

Please reach out to us at bigtmemorialcookoff@gmail.com with any other team accomodation questions you may have. We will do our best to accommodate everyone.

BBQ TEAM QUESTIONS

This is a common question these days due to the rising popularity and availability of these types of smokers. This is the direct quote from the Lone Star Barbecue Society Sanctioning Rules, found here:

BBQ PITS: Pit will be any commercial or homemade, trailered or un-trailered pit or smoker. A BBQ Pit may include gas or electricity for starting the combustion of wood or wood products but can NOT be used as a heat source for cooking. Electrical accessories such as spits, augers or force drafts are permitted. 

In other words, the answer to this question is no. With an electric smoker, it has to have electricity to sustain the fire throughout the cooking process, so that would be the heat source for cooking. Because it uses electricity to maintain the fire for the entire cooking process, these types of smokers are not permitted in our competition.

Technically, we only recognize a head cook and two team members as a team, so three people total. Any extras in your party can still identify as team members and participate, but only 3 will be recognized officially on forms, awards, etc.

Per Lone Star Barbecue Society Sanctioning Rules, found here, 2 Head Cooks may share a pit, but there may only be one entry per tem, per pit. In other words, one head cook cannot turn in 2 seperate entries from the same pit, but two separate teams may use the same pit to cook.

EXTRAS

There is a large, fenced kid’s park, the Lions Club Park, on-site at the WL Moody Fairgrounds. There is also a walking trail with a duck pond on-site. The Kids Cook-Off Challenge will also take place on Saturday, and any child between the ages of 6-17 can compete. The registration form is available for print here. We will also host a Touch-A-Truck event on-site as well on Saturday that will be fun for kids of all ages. There will be a Disc Golf Tournament on-site on Saturday starting at 9:00 am. There will be people on-site to help introduce kids to the game. Check out their Facebook Group for more information Stay tuned to our website and our Facebook page for more details on events we will be hosting over the weekend.

Well, y’all, late September in Texas is usually HOT!! Please be prepared for the heat. There will be plenty of water on site, and there is a lot of shade at the WL Moody fairgrounds.

Please also keep in mind that we are a “rain or shine” event. We will cook no matter what. All extra events may be subject to change, but the cooking will go on rain or shine.

There is plenty of parking available around the WL Moody Fairgrounds. We do not have paid parking or restricted areas because we believe we are all adults and we should be able to use some common sense when parking. We ask that only 1 vehicle park close to your RV site so that we can keep the lanes open around the RVs. We have board members and volunteer staff with side-by-sides and/or vehicles that have to get through there to pick up trash and whatever other official business we need to tend to, not to mention the possibility of emergency services. We may ask you to move your vehicle if it is in the driving lane.

Please leave driving lanes open. Please be courteous to others and don’t be a jerk when parking. Do not block in other vehicles. Marked handicapped spaces are reserved for those with actual plates or placards. We don’t want to mess with having your vehicle towed, but we will have no qualms about doing so when and if it becomes necessary.

Please feel free to bring whatever you can haul! Load up your little red wagon and bring your chairs too!  We do ask that you do not bring any glass containers, and that all trash is properly disposed of in the receptacles all around the park.