Submitted Photo Clint Hudkins, left, helps season sausage while Kim Kitelinger, right, is going to prepare his award-winning brisket on the smoker for today’s Cook Off for Charity.

Quarantine has been difficult on many people in North Dakota, limiting their contact with family and friends. Now that the state has been put into the “low risk” category, Clint Hudkins, the owner of Finish Line Burgers & Brew, is holding a Cook Off for Charity event today, starting at 3 p.m.

He has been kicking around the idea of having a friendly outside gathering with smoked and wood-fired food. At first he wasn’t sure exactly how to put it all together. He asked a group of his friends and one of them suggested using the event to raise money and give it away to local non-profit organizations.

One of the non-profits is Star City Learning Center, a locally owned business that offers daycare services and has a preschool, too. The woman who owns it had to tear down the playground equipment that was installed before she took over. It did not meet the current safety criteria, not having plastic and lacking fall protection, like pea rock or rubber mulch. The funds from the Cook Off for Charity will be donated to the daycare owner to purchase new and safe playground equipment for the children she cares for.

One of the things the daycare owner really wants to get is a playground sand scooper. Kids usually have a lot of fun with those, digging in the sand and moving it around.

Star City Learning is not funded through the state, hence the reason why Hudkins is so passionate about helping the woman out.

The other is a new organization known as the Velva Trap Team. The donations given to them will allow them to buy targets and shells.

They came up with many different fundraising ideas. The first is having an all-you-can-eat cook off. Hudkins and eight of his friends that share his love for taking part in food smoking competitions are putting it on.

Hudkins is planning on smoking prime rib for a main course and barbeque beans as a side. The second main course will be brisket on St. Louis-style ribs.

Austin Mosser’s smoker will be filled with pork chops, smoked queso and street corn.

Wood-fired chicken and appetizers are being made by Eric Dove.

Ken Kitelinger is also making brisket, alongside three different styles of sausage.

J.P. Lohnes is responsible for making smoked chicken.

Baby back ribs, a favorite, will be smoked and prepared by Greg Schmaltz.

Brent Krueger is thinking a bit outside of the box with smoking hog wings, and Jessy “Wheezy” Haman will smoke and shred pulled pork.

As previously stated, the food made by the nine competitors will be all you can eat. The fee to eat for individuals is $15, couples is $25 and a family is $45. All funds made from those who eat will be donated.

After people pay, they’ll receive a wristband to show they’ve paid their fee and they can go back as many times as they want for food. Hudkins hopes to completely sell out of food.

Finish Line Burgers & Brew will have a variety of drinks available. Alcoholic beverages for those of legal age will only be served after IDs are checked and the adult receives a wristband to show they are at least 21. Hudkins said they’re going to donate 10 percent of liquor sales to the cause.

The food was purchased from a small local grocery store called Velva Fresh Foods, owned by Brenda McCasson. “I’m trying to support her and her grocery store,” Hudkins said. “She just bought it.”

He explained to the store owner what he and his friends were going to do, and he intended to buy everything he could through her, as long as she could get what they needed in stock. McCasson not only agreed to order their food, but she wanted to get on board with them, as well.

The second fundraising portion of the event is a dunk tank, where a person will sit on a platform that hovers above several gallons of water in a tank. People can pay to throw balls at a target. Once the target is hit, the person inside will be dropped into the water.

All funds from the dunk tank will go to Throttles-N-Gears in Velva. Throttles-N-Gears is a non-profit that gives money to North Dakotans in the area who are fighting their battles against whichever cancer they may have.

Stephanie Wright with Throttles-N-Gears is the emcee and Hudkins described her as “a spit ball” and “she likes to tell jokes.” He likened her to the clown that insults people at the fair, but “she’s not as cocky.”

A brand new 2020 Harley-Davidson Electroglide will be up for raffle, along with many other odds and ends items.

A cornhole competition will be set up, with a $10 buy-in fee. The person who wins the competition will get half of the pot and the other half will go toward the money to be donated to the non-profits. Hudkins said that kids can participate if they would like, as well as adults.

For the kids who are crazy or curious about race cars, they will have a blast looking at Hudkin’s two full size sprint cars. He mentioned that some other people may bring in their hobby stock cars and others.

Because the event is taking place outside, people are allowed to bring their dogs, as long as they’re friendly, are on a leash and their owners pick up after them.

For some feel-good music, Minot musician Guy Hanley and his girlfriend have been asked to share their talent. Their group is called Guy and a Girl. Hudkins and Hanley have been friends for a very long time, and Hudkins talked of Hanley’s skill.

Years ago, Hudkins would have to contact Hanley months in advance for him to perform at an event. The pandemic has slowed things down for the couple, so Hudkins was able to snag his friend for Cook Off for Charity.

Several sponsors have donated and helped put the event on to support the Velva community. Some of them are from Velva and others are based in Minot.