Finger-lickin ribfest in Sparks starts tonight

SPARKS, Nev. - Competing in the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off is anything but a backyard barbecue for some two dozen entrants vying for top honors - and serving up racks by the ton.

''They're long days for me - usually 16-hour days - but cookers love what they do, so it's OK,'' said defending champion Bill Wall. ''I really like the Nugget's cook-off.''

Wall, from Midland, Mich., is going up against cookers from across the country as well as locals, all with their special combinations they hope will appeal to thousands of visitors - and a handful of judges.

''The method of judging is so careful and fair - some shows aren't judged that well. So when you win at the Nugget, it's so exciting,'' Wall said.

It's also worth $7,500 of the total $16,500 in prizes.

Each entrant balances spices and other ingredients with smoke from a variety of woods to create a unique flavor.

Many of the sauces and dry rubs are available at the event and some can be bought in stores. Wall sells Bone Daddy's, a combination of his father's dry rub spices plus garlic, onion and some other ingredients he's keeping to himself.

''The bottle is snappy looking. It's got a 1942 pinup and a B-52 bomber on the label,'' he said.

Along with the ribs - more than 120,000 pounds - the cookers offer side dishes such as chile, barbecue beans, slaw and cornbread of their own making.

Some 200,000 people are expected to have milled through Victorian Square in front of the Sparks Nugget by the time the event ends Labor Day night.

The food will be accompanied by $75,000 worth of free entertainment that started on Thursday with Mumbo Gumbo and continued Friday with country singer Mark Chesnutt. Singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen is on tap Saturday followed by War on Sunday and soulful Sonia Dada on Monday.

There also is a 125-booth craft village, clowns, face painters and roaming entertainers.

Admission is free; hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday through Sunday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday.