We have had low participation in the state 4-H chicken and turkey barbecue contests, so I started doing day camps in the counties teaching the local 4-Hers the joys of barbecuing poultry products. The result was that for the July 2023 contest, we had a record number of participants in the combined contests – 23. There were 12 juniors (7 doing chicken and 5 doing turkey) and 11 seniors (7 doing chicken and 4 doing turkey). The top seniors represented Kentucky in the national contests. 

 Andrew Mattingly from Marion County won the State Chicken BBQ Contest, even though it was his first time participating in a BBQ contest. As a result, he represented Kentucky in the National Chicken BBQ contest. There were 12 total contestants and Andrew placed third.

 Lance Munday from Montgomery County placed first in the State Turkey BBQ contest. He had competed in the National Chicken BBQ contest two years earlier and placed third. He would have won based on cooking, but the national contest requires an oral presentation as well and he did not prepare very well so only placed third overall. This year he put more effort into the presentation for the turkey contest. His great cooking and presentation resulted in a first-place finish in the national competition. Lance is now attending Eastern Kentucky University.