Sam's Club® and Kansas City Barbeque Society Announce Richest Barbecue Series in History

BENTONVILLE, Ark., March 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sam's Club, the official supplier of the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS), announced today the largest prize purse – a total of $400,000 - and competition series in the history of competitive barbecue.

The tour, called the Inaugural Sam's Club National BBQ Tour, will feature 20 local qualifying events, five regional events and one national championship in the company's hometown of Bentonville, Ark. An unprecedented total of $400,000 will be awarded in 26 barbecue competitions, which will be held in Sam's Club parking lots across the country.

"This partnership with KCBS gives Sam's Club a chance to showcase our high-quality selection of fresh meats," said Bob Fields, senior fresh merchandise director, Sam's Club. "It also allows us the opportunity to demonstrate to our members and others how grilling can be an everyday meal solution even if they aren't part of the growing competitive barbecuing scene."

The teams compete at local events for the opportunity to advance to regional competitions. Qualifying teams from the regional events will then move on to the national event, where one lucky team will be crowned grand champion and take home their portion of the $400,000 purse.

KCBS will sanction the events and provide certified barbecue judges for the competitions.

"Over our 25 year history, we have seen substantial growth in members, events and prize money," said Carolyn Wells, executive director, KCBS. "This is due in large part to the ever growing popularity of our sport. Our strategic alliance with Sam's Club is another way for us to continue bringing barbecue to the masses."

As the sanctioning body of competitive barbecue, KCBS sanctions more than 350 competitions each year. With a membership of more than 14,000 individuals and 5,000 competitive barbecue teams, KCBS is the largest barbecue society in the world.

The national tour will kick off in Gilbert, Ariz. on April 8, 2011. The events will also feature sampling and public demonstrations, along with exclusive barbecue tips and demonstrations from professional cooks, including Troy Black, a successful professional barbecue cook on the KCBS circuit. Black is also the author of the book "The Big Book of BBQ," which was published in 2010.

"This is a great way for our members to come out and learn how to make competition barbecue in their own backyards," Fields said. "Who better to learn from than the professional cooks and teams who have dedicated their lives to perfecting their craft?"

For more information on KCBS and the Inaugural Sam's Club National BBQ Tour, please visit www.kcbs.us.

About Sam's Club

Sam's Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), is the nation's eighth largest retailer and a leading membership warehouse club, offering superior products and services to more than 47 million members in clubs across the U.S., as well as in Brazil, China and Mexico. Members save an average of 30 percent over traditional retailers. To learn more about Savings Made Simple(SM), visit SamsClub.com, and look for Sam's Club on Twitter and Facebook.

About KCBS

It's estimated that more than 5,000 teams compete on the KCBS barbecue circuit. With more than 14,500 members, KCBS has been sanctioning events and training certified barbecue judges nationwide for 25 years. Using an objective, blind judging process, the society sanctions more than 350 barbecue competitions throughout the nation each year. For more information about KCBS, visit www.kcbs.us.

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SOURCE Sam's Club