RATHDRUM — There was smoke on the Rathdrum Prairie Saturday afternoon, but it was good smoke.

It was the kind of smoke that makes you smile rather than wrinkle your nose. It was the smoky smell that means your mouth will soon be full of delicious meat.

With smokers puffing, competing chefs prepared to be judged during the barbecue cook-off at Taste of Rathdrum, a city-hosted, family-friendly affair that has grown from a hot dog eating contest and music to a full-fledged festival now in its sixth year at Majestic Park.

Cook-off competitor Melissa Williams was cooking ribs and “bacon bombs.”

“It’s chicken, boneless chicken thighs, marinated … and wrapped in bacon three times,” said Williams, a North Idaho backyard barbecue cook, who hails from Texas originally.

Near the barbecue cooks, burger purveyors readied their best meat, bun and topping combinations for a burger battle sponsored by Westwood Brewing.

Kids pranced through the water spraying about the park’s splash pad, while petting zoo animals grazed nearby.

People sat at picnic tables scattered throughout the park, eating a potpourri of foods sold by various vendors.

With live music from the bandstand wafting across the rolling green space, grownups enjoyed two beer gardens.

“Each year we’ve added a little more. This year, we’ve got more food than we’ve ever had,” said Eric Singer, Rathdrum Parks and Recreation director. “It’s a great family event.”

The hot dog eating contest attracted a crowd to the bandstand to see who would be this year’s “weiners.”

Darla Ann Park, 18, last year’s youth division winner, tied with another hot dog eater for first place in the adult women’s division this year.

Her secret?

“I just dunk it in the water and go for it, and try not to think about hot dogs,” Park said.

In the men’s division, four competitors each ate eight hot dogs and buns in five minutes.

This year, a new competition was added: a pie-eating contest, along with a cornhole tournament and Nerf darts.

“Our main goal is to keep it family-oriented,” Singer said.

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Editor’s note: The Press will publish winners lists as soon as they become available.