Grilled to Perfection: 7th Annual Smokin' on the Water

Out at the Kwataqnuk on Saturday, visitors were treated to competitive barbecue food, ice cream, on-site mountain climbing, and jet propelled water boots that jetted brave users into the hot air above Flathead Lake. 

The 7th annual “Smokin’ on the Water” event featured live music on a stage donated by the Anderson Broadcasting company and many other vendors. 

Hosted by the Polson Chamber of Commerce, the event on Saturday drew crowds to see the sights and to taste the good food.

Angie Collins, who is on the chamber board, said this year’s event was drawing some heavy foot traffic early on in the sunny day.

“It’s a wonderful event for the locals and tourists,” she said. “And a chance to get some good barbecue and beer.”

The main event was the barbecue cookoff. Five teams competed in a variety of categories: Sauce, Beef, Pork, Chicken, Open Class, and People’s Choice.

All around the mixed smells of beef and chicken searing on grills without tops were filling the nostrils of nearby people, who gladly waited in line for the food.

“Pork-N-Stein,” a group comprised of Chad Peters and Jeremy Holm, were competing in their 5th “Smokin’ on the Water” BBQ competition. Peters opened the lid of one of the grills to reveal succulent pork loins wrapped in bacon not yet crispy. The aroma enveloped the tent with smoky flavors. They ended up placing second in the Beef and Open categories.

Peters said he and the team were out at the Kwataqnuk to have fun, smoke some meat, and enjoy the day. Competing wasn’t the main priority, although some work went into the preparation of their food.

“Our chances are slim-to-none,” he said of Pork-N-Stein’s chances of winning. “We’re not pros, we’re just a couple of weekend warriors.” He turned and offered a plate to someone who had been waiting in line.

Another team having fun was the Mission Valley Ice Arena Association, comprised of David McDaniel and Chuck Wall. Saturday was their second competition, back to represent their win last year in the category of beef. They were serving delicious tacos with heaps of their prizewinning beef, cooked to juicy temperatures.

“This is a really nice event,” Wall said. “There’s a lot going on.” Wall and McDaniel joked about last year’s winning entry.

“I was all him,” McDaniel said, pointing to Wall. To which Wall responded, “Nah, I mostly just stood around.” Their joking was clear to signal they were there to have fun. The winners received cash prizes. Paynewest HOG (Rob Turner & Alan Cass) won in the Sauce and Chicken categories. HogBoss (Max Nash) received three first places wins in Pork, Beef, and the Open categories. The People’s Choice Grand Champion, voted by the visitors that day, was HogBoss.

If visitors were full from the barbecue, the Friends Forever Mentoring tent had some ice cream to top off the other flavors – or for friends and family to have an ice cream cone to cool off on a hot Saturday on Flathead Lake in the August sun.

Doug Denton played guitar as Anna Golden sang on the stage in the early afternoon, bringing the live music portion of the day. Off in front of the stage, Get A Grip Montana erected a 26-foot climbing wall with two stand-alone trampolines for kids and adults to jump high in the air. Mostly, though, the kids were doing the jumping as parents and friends watched. 

Melissa Ellis of Get A Grip said the event was a good way for the company to get the word out about the fun of the climbing walls and trampolines.

“We’re here to expand boundaries in the Flathead area,” she said. “Good people are here and very outgoing.”

That being said, she moved back as a child wanted to get on the trampoline.

“You want to jump?” she asked.

On the picnic tables people continued to eat and listen to music. In the distance, a flyboarder was flipping and swerving huge jets of water over the lake.