Timing is Everything - In Life, and In Barbecue

Last Sunday we had a Barbecue at the Seagle Music Colony in Schroon Lake. All of the thirty two Young Artists were invited, in addition to the staff, and a dozen or so patrons who earned the invite by contributing at the “Producers Circle” in 2009. I was hoping that it would be the first of an annual event. In the past we had held “Producers Circle” dinners at a restaurant, but it seemed that there wasn't enough time to mix and really enjoy everyone's company.  Seagle Colony social events always get the highest grades if the attendees have an opportunity to mingle with the singers. We were hoping that a barbecue would provide such a setting, staged at the “White House” on Charley Hill Road, with ample seating to sit down and eat, but with enough space around the grounds to mingle for an hour or two before we all sat down. I set up my BBQ cooker outside the White House, parked beneath a towering maple to provide some shade. It couldn't have been a nicer day to sit outside and cook (and type up a few blog posts). The menu included beef brisket, in a nod to the Texas artist's contingent including the Artistic Director, Darren Woods, who hails from Fort Worth. I did one picnic shoulder as a pulled pork, and eight racks of St Louis cut spare ribs. We added two hotel pans of potato salad, two pans of baked beans, and a pan of coleslaw. I had four dozen hot dogs left over from Saturday's Kids Fishing Derby so I brought them along for good measure. I had only two concerns – quantity, as I had never actually fed thirty opera singers before, and timing. Everything had to be ready to go at 6PM after the Sunday Vespers concert.