NoVA Back Yard
BBQ Competition
August 29 - 30, 2026
Hosted by Arlington Moose Lodge 1315
Arlington Moose Lodge 1315 is proud to host the NoVA Back Yard BBQ Competition. It is an opportunity for pit masters throughout the region show their stuff and compete for prizes and bragging rights. The competition will be judged by a panel of sport and celebrity judges who just so happen to know a lot about BBQ.
The NoVA Back Yard BBQ will benefit several charities, including the Annandale Food Pantry, Vets Moving Forward and Moose Charities.
Our Judges
Rock Harper
Chef Rock is a restaurateur, television personality, and the winner of Hell’s Kitchen Season 3. Originally from Alexandria, VA, he owns Queen Mother’s in Arlington and recently opened Hush Harbor on H Street NE in Washington, D.C.
Chris Bassett
Chris is a chef and television personality featured on The Real Housewives of Potomac. He manages several local restaurants, including Blackwall Hitch and The Farmhouse, and co-owned Myron Mixon’s Pitmaster BBQ. He also has his own line of spices and seasonings.
Virgil Seay
Virgil "Papa Smurf" Seay played wide receiver for the Washington Redskins from 1981 to 1984, which includes a victory in Super Bowl XVII. Seay stays involved in coaching and youth development, having served as an assistant coach at George Mason University. He works with youth with mental and behavioral disorders and runs a free American football camp in Costa Rica.