< Previous20 COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2021 FEATURE “So, it’s also a good cause for everybody to get together and spend some money. And, you know, the excitement of winning a trophy, that’s always a plus.” Many teams with bona fides are entering this year’s contest, but there’s really no way to tell who’s going to win a given cook-off, because so much goes into a winning dish, said Brittany Whitfield, a founding member, along with her husband, John, of Palm Leaf Cookers. “Nobody knows,” she said. “It’s all about the texture. There’s got to be a pull and an elasticity to the brisket. You want it to have a flavor. You don’t want it to be dry. It’s extremely hard. “There’s stuff that we’ve won first- place trophies on, and even if it’s the exact same recipe, it may not hit this year.” What does help is experience and a little guidance. The Whitfields didn’t know what they were doing the first time they en- tered a barbecue cook-off, but they’d had a long time to think about it. They had been on a waiting list for seven years when they got word they’d finally landed a spot in the competition. John Whitfield acknowledged he wasn’t quite ready for the call. He named his team after one of the first things he had handy, a straw hat he often wears while cooking. When the Whitfields rolled up at the Galveston County Fair & Rodeo that first year, their rookie status was obvious. Luckily, their cook-off site neighbor knew a little something about being the new guy. Arnold Garza took pity on the Whitfields as they desperately searched for a power outlet. It was the start of a relationship that has seen the Whitfields’ and Gar- za’s teams cook alongside each other for years. photos by JENNiFEr rEYNOLDS (From top) Jason Garza, left, and Dustin Robinson, with Los Primos Cookers, check on one of their briskets during the 2018 Galveston County Fair & Rodeo Barbecue Cook-off; Garza slices ribs for the team’s cook-off entry. COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2021 21 photos by STUArT ViLLANUEVA (Clockwise from top) Brittany and John Whitfield are founding members of the Palm Leaf Cookers team. They were on a waiting list for seven years before they finally landed a spot in the Galveston County Fair & Rodeo barbecue cook-off; John Whitfield slices venison sausage in a cook-off trailer at his home in Santa Fe; sausage sizzles on the grill.22 COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2021 COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2021 23 FEATURE ‘IT COULD ALL GET TAKEN AWAY’ After last year’s heartbreak, students hope virtual livestock show will pay off story by KERI HEATH | photos by STUART VILLANUEVA S anta Fe High School sopho- more Jaylee Rushing some- times rises at 3 a.m. to care for her heifer. Rushing, who also is the sec- retary of Santa Fe High School Future Farmers of America, was really look- ing forward to this year’s Galveston County Fair & Rodeo, she said. Even though the pandemic means a modi- fied version of the popular event, Rushing still is grateful for the chance to show her animal, she said. She was at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in March last year when the event was shut down abruptly because of concern about the spread of COVID-19. “We worked all year to get there,” Rushing said. “It’s very heartbreaking.” (Above) Brooke McCrumb places a halter on her steer at the Dickinson school district agriculture barn. (Opposite) Barney Kelley removes leg wraps from his lamb with the help of his father, Glen, at the Texas City school district agriculture barn. Barney Kelley plans to show a lamb this year at the Galveston County Fair & Rodeo, which will feature a modified livestock show in which interested buyers can watch and place bids virtually.24 COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2021 FEATURE This year, the Galveston County Fair & Rodeo plans to move forward with an altered version of the event, which is April 16-24. The fair board canceled the event last year just weeks before it was scheduled as concerns about COVID-19 swept through the region. This year, students will be able to show their livestock and proj- ects, said Barbara Magana Robertson, spokeswoman for the fair. But the 2021 fair won’t include carnival games or rides, she said. The fair won’t be open to the general public, but interested buyers can watch and place bids virtually, she said. “The most important thing about the Galveston County Fair & Rodeo is the kids,” Robertson said. “We want to be able to not only show their animals but give them the opportunity to sell their animals.” Getting an animal ready for auction is normally a feat. This year, students have been making a few changes to accommo- date the uncertain nature of the pandemic. Barney Kelley, an eighth-grade student at Blocker Middle School in Texas City, plans to show a lamb at the fair this year. (From top) Justin Ouzenne blow dries his heifer, Sweet Pea, at the Dickinson school district agriculture barn; Taylar Baker walks with her pig, Bubba J, in an arena at the barn.TERRAMAR BEACH 23187 CAMINO | $639,000 SUE JOHNSON | 409.682.9050 SEA ISLE 21239 GULF DR. | $625,000 SUE JOHNSON | 409.682.9050 ©2021 Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. Better Homes and Gardens® is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation licensed to Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Franchise is Independently Owned and Operated. If your property is currently listed with a real estate broker, please disregard. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other real estate brokers. RELAX. We’ll handle everything. TRIMBLE & LINDSEY (6.92± ACRES) PT OF LOT 206 9 MILE RD. | $399,900 SUSAN CAHILL | 409.457.6995 PIRATES BEACH 4207 SANDPIPER LANE | $830,000 LINDA SIVY | 409.599.5847 13450 Termini San Luis Pass Rd. Galveston, TX 409.944.3220 | GaryGreeneVacationRentals.com Call us today and let us help you discover stress-free vacation rental management. Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. PIRATES COVE 3403 MUSCATEE CIRCLE | $1,450,000 SALLIE WATERS | 409.599.5333 EMERALD BY THE SEA PENTHOUSE 500 SEAWALL BOULEVARD #1405 | $1,100,000 FRANK PETRONELLA | 409.771.2435 DIAMOND BEACH CONDOS 10327 TERMINI SAN LUIS PASS | $420K - $625K MARTIE TERRY | 713.504.4202 POINTE WEST 25715 BAY BREEZE DRIVE | $950,000 JACKI HART | 409.692.5081 4th Annual Plant Sale 2021 Saturday, April 24th9:00 AM - 2:00 PM GaryGreene.com 13450 FM 3005 Galveston, TX 77554 409.737.520026 COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2021 FEATURE He likes to walk his animals around at least 30 minutes a day and make them stand up at least 30 minutes, he said. That helps the animals build muscle. In a normal year, he’ll give his animals some days off from exercise, but this year he hasn’t been taking chances, he said. “You don’t know when you’ll have to go into quarantine,” Kelley said. Kelley has quarantined three times during this school year because a close contact tested positive for COVID-19, he said. That means time away from the ani- mals, he said. Some students still are fearful the event, like so many other things in the past 12 months, will be canceled. After the event was called off in 2020, some students didn’t have the money or enthusiasm to show this year, said Casey Whatley, a junior at Santa Fe High School and vice president of the campus FFA. “Having the will to go and do anything was hard,” said Whatley, who shows steers. “It could all get taken away from you again.” Students typically rely on sales of their animals at previous fairs to buy and care for new animals the next year. It can cost $50 to $75 a month for product to keep bovine hair glossy and smooth and $12 a feedbag, which many animals need once a day, Whatley said. Students put a lot of work into their animals and getting to show them off is the culmination of those efforts, Whatley said. “It’s a lot of nights with no sleep,” she said. “Sometimes, you’re up 48 hours.” Many seniors also use the proceeds from sales during their last year at the fair to pay for part of their college education. Santa Fe High School senior Jordyn Boutwell hopes the proceeds from her pig will go into her college fund this year, she said. Boutwell, president of her school’s FFA program, is paying for her education herself, she said. “I have to get this money to pay for my tuition,” Boutwell said. “That would help a lot going away to college.” Still, Boutwell loves caring for her pig, she said. The uncertainty about the fair this “The most important thing about the Galveston County Fair & Rodeo is the kids. We want to be able to not only show their animals, but give them the opportunity to sell their animals.” BARBARA MAGANA ROBERTSON COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2021 27 year has made her focus more on enjoying her time at the barn, she said. Robertson is just glad the students will have a way to show off all their hard work, especially after the disappointment of last year, she said. “At the end of the day, we will be able to have an auction, which is so important because that’s where the community can help,” Robertson said. For auction information, visit www.galvestoncountyfair.com (Clockwise from top left) A’Maree Bledsoe leads his heifer, Ginger, to be washed at the Texas City school district agriculture barn; Lexi Ashcraft guides her pig, Spiral, across a pasture at the Texas City barn; Italeigh Kelley works with her steer, Bluejean. L i s t e n t o L i n d a … NEW LISTING REALTOR® ABR, CNE, RSPS, SRS, GAR 2018 MLS Chair 409-599-5847 | linda.sivy@garygreene.com LINDA SIVY L i s t e n t o L i n d a … I know Galveston Beach to Bay, I know Galveston Beach to Bay, East to WestEast to West Local bred, local raised! Local bred, local raised! • Seller Representative Specialist - SRS • Resort & Second Home Priority Specialist - RSPS • Notary Public • Galveston Association of Realtors 2018 MLS Chairman • GAR 2014, 2015, 2016 MLS Committee Member • Accredited Buyer Representative - ABR • Certified Negotiation Expert - CNE OVER 25 YEARS OF REAL ESTATE RELATED EXPERIENCE 4 bedroom 3 bath home hosts many upgrades: The primary bedroom with ensuite is on the 2nd level with deck and more awesome views of the beach. An additional massive bedroom with ensuite, cabinets/wet bar is on the 2nd level that can sleep another family. NEST controlled, sprinkler system, outdoor shower, electric shutters and window blinds are all here. There is ample space on the ground level for outdoor entertaining and basketball mount on the ground for shooting hoops. Sold furnished with a few exclusions. 4204 Sandpiper Lane Galveston $830,000The Texas A&M Maritime Academy, the only one on the Gulf Coast, will receive a $390 million National Security Multi-Mission Vessel from the federal government to fuel the workforce that feeds $449 billion into the state economy. Future mariners will learn and train aboard and it will provide critical disaster resource capabilities in the most hurricane-prone region in the U.S. Just another way Aggies are driving the blue economy in Texas. tamug.edu The National Security Multi-Mission Vessel’s home station will be Texas A&M University at Galveston. The ship will serve as a state-of-the-art training platform and provide disaster response capabilities.Next >