Montgomery County, TN – Montgomery County Parks and Recreation is bringing back one of the community’s newest traditions when BBQ Fest Across the River returns to RichEllen Park October 9th–10th, 2026, presented by First Federal Bank.
The two-day celebration is designed to bring families, friends, businesses, schools, churches, and community organizations together for a weekend filled with barbecue, live music, games, activities, and plenty of opportunities to simply have a good time.
Friday’s festivities will run from 5:00pm to 9:00pm, followed by a full day of activities Saturday from 10:00am to 3:00pm.
There is no admission charge to enter the park. Guests will only pay for food and optional activities.
After attracting more than 2,000 people last year, organizers are hoping to make an even bigger impact this year, with a goal of drawing between 3,000 and 4,000 people to RichEllen Park.
Helping Montgomery County Parks and Recreation bring the event together is Hilltop Supermarket, which has played an important role in helping organize the festival and connect local organizations with the event.
Hilltop has also helped bring Montgomery Central High School sports teams and other student groups into the festival, making the event an even stronger community effort.
Friday Night Starts the Weekend With Barbecue, Music and Family Fun
BBQ Fest Across the River gets Friday evening underway with plenty of food, entertainment, and activities for families.
The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile will return to the festival Friday from 5:00pm to 8:00pm, giving families another fun attraction to enjoy while exploring the event.
Live music will also be part of Friday night’s festivities, with Donald and Lucian Green taking the stage.
The entire baseball field at RichEllen Park will be transformed into a kids zone, featuring free games and activities for children.
Jumpy houses will be available, and several local churches will be helping provide activities for kids. Lone Oak Church, Antioch Church, and Christ Fellowship Church will each have tents with games and activities.
BBQ Fest Across the River will also feature face painting provided by Montgomery Central High School cheerleaders and dance team members.
A Festival Built Around the Community
One of the things that makes BBQ Fest Across the River unique is the number of local organizations that have come together to make the event possible.
Montgomery County Parks and Recreation is hosting the event, with Hilltop Supermarket helping with the organization and bringing together local groups to participate.
Montgomery Central High School students, coaches and organizations are playing an important role, with baseball, football, dance, cheerleading, agriculture, building trades, boys soccer and girls soccer all participating.
Hilltop helped connect the festival with the high school sports programs, giving the students and coaches an opportunity to be part of the event while helping promote their programs to the community.
Palmyra Fire Department will also be involved, while children and volunteers from local sports organizations will help with games and activities throughout the festival.
BBQ Fest Across the River is designed to be more than a barbecue competition. It is intended to showcase the people, organizations and businesses that make the community across the river special.
The community has wanted an event like this for years.
“We’ve never had anything until last year,” organizers noted, emphasizing the importance of creating a major community gathering on this side of the river.
Last year’s event included 21 sponsors from this side of the river, and organizers are hoping to reach a similar number this year. Sponsorship opportunities are still available.
Something for Every Kid
Families with children will find plenty to keep them busy throughout the weekend at BBQ Fest Across the River.
In addition to the kids zone, jumpy houses, face painting and church activities, Tri-County Sportsman’s Association will have several activities designed to get children involved and outdoors.
Those activities will include axe throwing, Nerf gun shooting, and a fishing pond.
Kids from participating sports organizations will also help with games and activities during the festival.
There will also be a special activity called “Paint a Rock for Don,” giving children and families an opportunity to create something while honoring a member of the community who is remembered for doing the same.
Come Hungry for Barbecue
Of course, barbecue remains at the heart of the festival.
The BBQ competition begins Friday, with teams setting up at RichEllen Park and cooking throughout the night in preparation for Saturday’s judging.
Hilltop Supermarket is helping make the barbecue competition possible and will be directly involved in the BBQ cookoff, which is one of the central attractions of the festival.
Teams will cook their barbecue throughout the night before preparing their entries for Saturday’s judging.
Judging will take place Saturday between 11:00am and 1:30pm, with the winners announced at 2:00pm.
The competition will take place rain or shine.
One of the most popular parts of the competition is the People’s Choice contest, which gives festival visitors the opportunity to sample the barbecue and choose their favorite.
Each competing team will be provided with a whole Boston butt to prepare. Once the meat is turned in Saturday morning, organizers will divide it into sample portions.
For $10.00, visitors can purchase a People’s Choice tasting ticket, sample barbecue from the participating teams and cast their vote for their favorite.
The People’s Choice tasting begins at 11:00am Saturday, with the winner announced along with the other barbecue competition awards at 2:00pm.
Local Food Beyond the Competition
The barbecue competition isn’t the only way visitors can enjoy good food during BBQ Fest Across the River.
Several food trucks will be on site, while Hilltop Supermarket and South of the River will both be serving barbecue.
Guests can also grab lemonade from the lemonade stand or try something a little different from Merry Oaks Farms in Palmyra, which will be serving goat ice cream.
Additional vendors will be on hand throughout the weekend, giving visitors plenty of choices as they walk through the festival.
New This Year: Cornhole Competition
A new attraction this year will give festival-goers a chance to compete for cash prizes and bragging rights.
A cornhole tournament, sponsored by Providence Builders, will be held Saturday.
The tournament will accommodate up to 30 teams.
The addition of the tournament gives adults and competitive players another reason to spend the day at RichEllen Park while adding another element to an already busy Saturday schedule at BBQ Fest Across the River.
Saturday Brings More Music and More Activities
Saturday’s schedule will continue the family-friendly atmosphere with even more activities, food and entertainment.
Another live band will perform Saturday, with the group to be announced.
Montgomery Central baseball coach Todd Dunn and members of the baseball team will be on hand promoting Montgomery Central baseball, while Montgomery Central football will also have a presence at the event.
The boys and girls soccer programs will participate Friday and Saturday, including small soccer games designed to give younger children an opportunity to get involved.
The combination of sports, games, food, and entertainment is intended to keep families at the park throughout the day.
A Celebration That Gives Back
While BBQ Fest Across the River is designed as a community celebration, it also serves an important purpose beyond the weekend itself.
All proceeds from the event benefit the Tri-County Sportsman’s Association, which uses the funds to support local youth and community programs.
The festival also provides direct support to local sports organizations participating in the event.
Tri-County Sportsman’s Association will provide a $250.00 check to each participating sports organization to help support its club. Those checks are made possible through the event’s sponsors.
It is another example of how the festival is designed to keep the benefits of the event within the local community.
Hilltop Supermarket’s involvement also reflects that community focus, helping bring local schools, sports programs, and other organizations together to make the festival possible.
Honoring Don Through Paint a Rock
This year’s festival will also include a special tribute to a familiar member of the Montgomery County community.
Don, a longtime associate manager at Hilltop Supermarket, was preparing to help with last year’s BBQ Fest Across the River when he passed away on the first day of the event.
Don was known for his love of painting rocks and giving them away to others. In his memory, Tri-County Sportsman’s Association will host a special “Paint a Rock for Don” tent during this year’s festival.
The activity will give children and families an opportunity to paint their own rocks while remembering someone who spent years serving the community through his work at Hilltop Supermarket.
Don’s connection to Hilltop makes the tribute especially meaningful as the supermarket continues to help Parks and Recreation with this year’s festival.
It is a simple but meaningful tribute that reflects the spirit of the festival — bringing people together, giving back and creating something positive for the community.
The tribute is also a reminder that BBQ Fest Across the River is about more than barbecue and entertainment. It has become a gathering where local families, businesses, organizations and volunteers come together to support one another and celebrate the people who make the community special.
The Tri-County Sportsman’s Association
The organization benefiting from the festival has a mission that goes well beyond the annual barbecue event.
The Tri-County Sportsman’s Association was started approximately five or six years ago by a group of local people who wanted to promote hunting, fishing and outdoor activities while helping get children back outdoors.
One of the organization’s ongoing efforts is hunter education.
Tri-County conducts approximately four or five hunter education courses each year. While many young people complete the required course online, the organization also provides an in-person option for children who are uncomfortable completing the training online.
The organization announces course information on its Facebook page.
David Atkins has been a longtime instructor and continues to play an important role in the organization’s hunter education efforts.
Through activities such as hunter education, fishing opportunities and youth programs, Tri-County Sportsman’s Association continues to focus on introducing young people to the outdoors and providing positive community experiences.
Make Plans for BBQ Fest Across the River
With barbecue teams cooking through the night, live music, food trucks, a returning Wienermobile, a new cornhole tournament, sports activities, church-sponsored games, kids’ attractions, and opportunities to support local youth organizations, BBQ Fest Across the River is shaping up to be a full weekend of community fun.
The event will be held at RichEllen Park on Friday, October 9th, from 5:00pm to 9:00pm, and Saturday, October 10, from 10:00am to 3:00pm.
Admission to the park is free, with guests paying only for food and optional activities.
BBQ Fest Across the River is presented by First Federal Bank, with support from Hilltop Supermarket, Visit Clarksville, and Montgomery County Parks and Recreation. Wyatt GMC is returning as the People’s Choice sponsor, and Providence Builders is sponsoring the new cornhole tournament.
Organizers are inviting families from throughout Montgomery County and the surrounding area to come out, enjoy the food and entertainment, support local organizations, and experience a community event that is quickly becoming a new tradition across the river.
To register for the BBQ competition, corn hole tournament, or to purchase a ticket for People’s Choice tasting, visit www.montgomerytn.gov/parks/bbq-fest
BBQ Fest Across the River is made possible through the generous support of First Federal Bank, Hilltop Supermarket, Visit Clarksville, and Montgomery County Parks and Recreation.
All proceeds from BBQ Fest Across the River will benefit the Tri-County Sportsman’s Association, supporting local youth and community programs.
Want to see what made last year’s BBQ Fest Across the River such a hit? Check out Clarksville Online’s coverage of the inaugural event and relive the barbecue, family fun, competition, and community spirit that helped make it a new Montgomery County tradition.
Montgomery County Hosts First-Ever BBQ Fest: Across the River at RichEllen Park
BBQ Fest Across the River Heats Up for Day Two with Competition, Crowd Favorites, and Big Winners
For more information, visit the Montgomery County Parks and Recreation BBQ Fest page, follow the event on Facebook, or call 931.648.5732.
BBQ Fest Across the River Photos From Last Year’s Event
