Small towns. I love them. When several small towns get together for a celebration, I love it even more.

This past weekend I was asked to be one of the judges for the Rib Cookoff in Freeman, South Dakota. Freeman is one of those South Dakota towns that, if you don't have a reason to go there, you don't even go through. It's kind of a shame too. It's an awesome little town.

I couldn't help but noticing the awesome small town pool they had from my view across the park. You could tell it's a place the kids love to hang out on a hot summer day.

They had 18 different vendors there for the Rib Cookoff. I'll miss a few, but Menno, Tripp, Wagner, Yankton, Ravinia and Freeman were all represented. Neat thing was, most of the other fire departments from other small towns were all there helping their other small towns out.

The fundraiser in Freeman was for a new firetruck they just secured for the area. It could be a house fire, or a field flare up during harvest or a car accident along the road. Having a truck like this is an advantage for everyone in the area. It's pretty darn nice!

Thanks to my fellow judges for helping me pace myself through the rib tasting ordeal. The beer was cold and the ribs were great! I also learned that sometimes the best ribs are the first ones you try. So don't hold back on scoring!

It truly is one of the fun events I attended this summer. It was a great reminder of what I like best about where we live. Small towns!

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