This weekend, it’s all about family.

Not only will families be encouraged to come out to participate in the Apple Blossom Festival, but the event itself will have a family focus.

Sure, the Apple Blossom Parade, St. Joe’s oldest parade, will have the usual attractions. The Shriners will be there, along with the antique automobiles, decorated cars, horses and walking units. And don’t worry kids, there’s still plenty of candy that will be tossed out on the popular parade route towards downtown.

But this year’s theme, “A Tribute to St. Joe Families: The Heart of Our City,” will give the estimated 90 parade floats the opportunity to honor prominent St. Joseph families of past and present while giving others a chance to celebrate their own.

“It can be family activities, St. Joe families... they can be creative with it,” says Michelle Wolfe, executive director for the Apple Blossom Festival.

The grand marshals will be the Rucker family. Martin Rucker serves in the Missouri House of Representatives and his wife, Lavell, is a social worker in the St. Joseph School District. The most well-known member of the Rucker family, the recently retired Carolina Panthers football player Mike Rucker, also will be in attendance, along with other Rucker family children and grandchildren.

Apple Blossom President Ken Rosenauer has wanted to honor Mike Rucker as the parade’s grand marshal on previous occasions, but his NFL schedule prevented him from attending. Nevertheless, Rosenauer believes the entire family is worth celebrating.

“I can’t think of very many other families that really, across the board, serve with distinction,” he says. “That family serves to model for the rest of us.”

If you head downtown tonight or May 3, you can smell what Civic Center Park is cooking. That’s because the Second Annual Apple Blossom Barbecue Festival will be cooking up a ton of meat. Vegans, you have been warned.

The contest will be a Missouri State Championship sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society, and it’s put on by the St. Joseph Ancient Order of Hibernians.

The contest has doubled in size compared to last year, with 60 teams from across the Midwest and as far away as Texas. Tom Supple, organizer of the Apple Blossom Barbecue, attributes that to having good word of mouth and more prep time.

“It went really well (last year). We only had seven weeks to put it on,” Supple says. “This year, we’ve been slightly more organized and less hectic.”

Teams will be competing in categories for best chicken, ribs, pork shoulder and brisket. There also will be a pork loin contest sponsored by Hy-Vee, and teams will be competing for a total of $10,000 in prize money.

But don’t worry barbecue-aholics, if you like big butts and you cannot lie, there is a “Best Butt 2008” People’s Choice Award, where you can try some pork butt from noon to 2 p.m. May 3 and vote to determine which team will win a cash prize.

To attend the barbecue contest will cost $5 each tonight and May 3. There also will be a beer tent that will feature live music from country group True North and classic rockers Charlie and the String Rays tonight. Funk/R&B group Page 2 and reggae party outfit Soca Jukebox will perform on May 3.

Whether you come out for the parade, the barbecue or just to grab a beer and listen to some music, Rosenauer thinks that Apple Blossom is more than just a warm-weather event.

“The weather’s getting nice, the flowers are blooming, trees are budding... we feel that the Apple Blossom is the exclamation point on the beginning of spring this year.”

An apple a day

What: The Apple Blossom Parade

When: 10 a.m. May 3

Where: The parade will start at Noyes and Frederick, heading down Frederick and turning down Ninth Street, then turning onto Felix Street towards downtown and ending on the corner of Fifth and Felix.

Info: Those interested in entering a parade float should contact 261-0422 or go to www.appleblossomparade.com

Fire it up

What: The Second Annual Apple Blossom Barbecue Festival

When: 5 p.m. tonight and noon, May 3

Where: Civic Center Park

Cost: $5 admission for each day

Band schedule

True North: 5 to 8 p.m. tonight

Charlie and the Stringrays: 8 to 11 p.m. tonight

Page 2: 1 to 3 p.m. May 3

Soca Jukebox: 4 to 6 p.m. May 3

Lifestyles reporter Blake Hannon can be reached at blakehannon@npgco.com