This festival season, Maryland is rife with barbecue events that pair the delicacy with beer, bacon, music and more.

Many of the formal barbecue competitions at the festivals are sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, a nonprofit with more than 20,000 members dedicated to promoting barbecue. The group sanctions more than 450 barbecue contests worldwide. Here are a few not to miss this spring and summer:

The 10th anniversary tour of the Beer Bourbon & BBQ Festival kicks off Friday and Saturday at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. The festival features 60 beers, 40 bourbons and “lots” of barbecue. Vendors will be selling pulled pork from whole hogs, ribs, brisket, chicken, sausages and plenty of fixings. Tickets range from $29 to $89, and a portion of the proceeds goes to the Spirit of Hope Children's Foundation.

More than 60 teams are registered for the Interstate BBQ Festival, a sanctioned Kansas City Barbeque Society competition, April 15-16 in Hagerstown. The event, held at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center, will include beer from Antietam Brewery and local food vendors as well. General admission is $15.

Pork in the Park returns to Winterplace Park in Salisbury April 23-24. The event, benefiting the Friends of Recreation & Parks Tomorrow Fund, includes the Eastern Shore Wing War and Pork War competitions, hot air balloon launches and an inflatable bounce park. Admission is $3 per person, and kids 12 and under are free.

Hosted by the Parole Rotary Club, the Naptown BarBayQ Contest & Music Festival runs May 6-7 at the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds in Crownsville. Another Kansas City Barbeque Society-certified competition, the sixth annual event includes contests for wings and barbecue, as well as a people's choice award. The festival is $15 in advance or $20 at the door.

The Commander Brew ‘N' Que takes place at Ocean City's Commander Hotel June 3-4. It's also a Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned event featuring beer and barbecue.

The Maryland State BBQ Bash will be held Aug. 12-13 in Bel Air at Bond and Thomas streets. More than 45 teams are registered to compete in the Kansas City Barbeque Society's competition for $12,500 in cash prizes, and the event also includes a “Tailgate Challenge,” a pork rib cooking contest for amateurs. Admission is free.

In brief

Andrew Weinzirl has joined the Brewer's Art as the gastropub's new executive chef. Weinzirl was formerly executive chef of Le Garage and chef and co-owner of Maggie's Farm. He's spent the past month transitioning the menu at the Mount Vernon restaurant while incorporating beer and brewing ingredients into the food. Some of his additions include Berkshire pork shank, pork cheek pierogies made with Brewer's Art Resurrection beer, and soup a la biere, which incorporates hop oil. Ray Kumm, the restaurant's previous executive chef, moved to Chicago.

Jay Rohlfing came on board as the new executive chef at Cunningham's in Towson. Rohlfing attended the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts and has previously worked at the Boca Raton Resort, the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Hotel and Linwoods in Owings Mills. Jason Lear, the restaurant's former executive chef, will remain with the Bagby Restaurant Group to help with the expansion of the group's Bagby Pizza locations.

smeehan@baltsun.com

twitter.com/sarahvmeehan