Sixth Nisqually Valley Barbecue Rally cements event as Yelm staple

For the sixth time since its launch, the Nisqually Valley Barbecue Rally packed Yelm City Park and cemented the event as a staple in the local community, as attendees enjoyed a day filled with food vendors, various live entertainment, competition and community camaraderie.

When the Nisqually Valley Barbecue Rally originally started in 2019, Dan Nicholson, one of the event’s organizers and the Yelm Chamber of Commerce’s president-elect, said he foresaw the celebration of smoked meats becoming one of the best activities in town.

Six iterations of the event later, Nicholson believes the event is one of Yelm’s best activities and stated it attracts visitors from all throughout Washington. This year, Steele Barrel BBQ was voted the People’s Choice champion for local barbecue vendors, while Amateur Andy competitors “Up in Smoke” and “Bucket List BBQ” were crowned grand champion and reserve champion, respectively.

In the chicken category, “Bucket List BBQ” took first overall and was followed by “Hogs, Hens and Heifers” in second place and “BBQ ICU” in third place. In the ribs category, “Bucket List BBQ” took first overall and was followed by “Smokin’ O’s Barbecue Competition Team” in second place, while “Up in Smoke” took third place. In the pork shoulder category, “Rib Ticklers” took first overall, while “Bucket List BBQ” took second place and was followed by “Up in Smoke” in third place. Finally, in the beef brisket category, “Up in Smoke” took first overall and was followed by “Rib Ticklers” in second place and “Smokin’ O’s Barbecue Competition Team” in third place.

“I don’t think I could wish for anything more. It’s been amazing. The crowds came out. The people came out. You know what they say: if you build it they will come. I believe that’s what happened today. When we first had this idea to bring it to the chamber, I personally said that I want to make this the best event that Yelm has. I think we’ve accomplished that, but some might argue. I personally think that this is the best activity,” he said. “I just want to say thank you to the chamber, thank you to our committee and thank you to all of our sponsors and volunteers. It took a massive amount of people to put this together. My wife and I work hard, but we couldn’t do this without the whole team behind us.”

Throughout Yelm City Park, over 20 local businesses set up vendor booths for attendees to learn and inquire about their services. Additionally, Second Street, from Mosman Avenue to Washington Avenue, was lined with an assortment of food trucks — truly providing an opportunity for attendees to fulfill whatever barbecue their tastebuds desired on Saturday.

“Small business is everything to us,” Nicholson said. “Being so heavily involved in the chamber of commerce, and as a small business owner myself, it really means a lot to me to see businesses coming out and enjoying the fruits of our labor — which we’ve been working on since December. Everyone seems to be having a good time, and there’s a lot of businesses making some money today too.

“The highlight of my day has been seeing all of the people. That’s always the highlight for me,” Nicholson continued. “It starts out a little bit slow, but then it works its way up. Before you know it, there’s times throughout the day where you can hardly walk around. That’s what we’re looking for. I know some people don’t like the lines, but I personally love the lines.”

Marketing efforts for the sixth annual Nisqually Valley Barbecue Rally were a big part of preparing for the event, as Nicholson said they were advertising the event everywhere within 100 square miles of Yelm.

The marketing efforts paid off, as the 2025 Nisqually Valley Barbecue Rally saw some of the best attendance in event history from both community members and competitors in the Amateur Andy competition and Youth Burger Challenge.

“This event is truly growing. You know, we’re almost outgrowing it. We need to figure out a way to keep it growing and keep it going,” Nicholson said. “We had the best turnout this year for the youth burger challenge. Right now, with the space we have, we only have room for about 10 kids. I think we had nine. Next year, we’ll hopefully have it full and find a way to grow that. Same thing with the Amateur Andy competition. Everyone had a great time competing.”