By GAYLE WEBER

gweber@dailynews.net

It's about more than just the blues and the barbecue for many of the hundreds who flocked to downtown Hays over the weekend.

From shopping and live music to a car show and events for children, the 2009 Blues and BBQ offered a little bit of everything for everyone.

"Getting people down here, it's a nice social gathering," said Hays resident Jim Jacobs.

A first-timer to the event, Jacobs, his wife, Virginia, and friend Pat Kotch had just participated in the people's choice barbecue tasting early Saturday afternoon.

"Each one of us picked something different," Virginia Jacobs said.

More than a dozen competitors entered brisket in the people's choice contest, but Up in Smoke, a team from Dodge City, emerged victorious, claiming the $200 prize.

Bison resident Sharon Urban said it came down to three kinds of barbecue for her, but ultimately settled on one.

"I went for the tenderness and the juicy (meat)," Urban said as her friend Mary Anne Schmidtberger agreed. "The taste too, but tenderness and juicy."

Although they agreed on the criteria, Urban, her son, Seth, and Schmidtberger all came up with different results.

The barbecuers began setting up Friday morning in the rain and were relieved to see a sunny Saturday for the actual contest.

Many began smoking their briskets for the people's choice contest Friday night -- cooking it one hour per pound, according to Travis Darnell.

Darnell, from Junction City, only entered the people's choice contest, not the Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned contest since it was his first time going beyond his own backyard.

"My sisters run ScrubMed," Darnell said. "I decided to come out and cook and promote their business a little bit after they opened last week."

A first-time entrant in Blues and BBQ, Hays resident Dan Pfannenstiel said he was excited to see some of the people he's met at other KCBS-sanctioned contests across the state.

"People get together in good weather and cook some food and get some new recipes. It's great," said Pfannenstiel, owner of Woody's BBQ.

Pfannenstiel said he was planning to make pizzas on his fully-equipped barbecue trailer Friday night before the intensity of the competition kicked in.

"We're usually pretty serious until we get all our things tucked away and iced down," Pfannenstiel said. "Then we tend to party a little bit after that."

More than the food, Blues and BBQ also featured dozens of sidewalk sale locations throughout downtown including a sno-cone stand.

For Marijo Rooney's three children, Cynthia Pfeifer's makeshift stand outside her Crystal Memories business on Main Street was a favorite stop.

"That always improves everything," Rooney said of having blue sno cones available.

Jim Jacobs said the sidewalk sales reminded him of the "old days" when downtown Hays used to be home to frequent bazaars.

"I hope they keep doing it," Virginia Jacobs said with a lamp shade in hand. "It's a nice downtown. People should enjoy it."