Apple Blossom festivities kick off Friday in St. Joseph.

The “Made With Uncommon Character” campaign is putting on the Apple Blossom BBQ this year. This is the 12th year of the BBQ, but the first year that the Uncommon Character campaign is putting on the event and adding more activities to the weekend.

According to Campaign Director Kristi Bailey, the festivities begin at 5 p.m. Friday at Civic Center Park with the People’s Choice Tasting & Pulled Pork BBQ Meal. The evening will include music by Blue Oyster Culture Club, carriage rides by Duncan Carriages and more.

“At the Apple Blossom BBQ Contest this year, we’re really excited that we’ve been able to grow the event into much more than a BBQ contest, but also a community event that adults and kids will want to attend,” Bailey said.

According to a press release, GreatLIFE has provided frisbees for the first 2,000 meals purchased to support those plates of BBQ and to play with in the park. GreatLIFE also will have a chipping contest so adults and kids can brush up on their golf game.

The Apple Blossom parade begins at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday and runs from Noyes & Frederick to 4th & Felix Downtown. After the parade, there will be family friendly activities going on in Civic Center Park. There will be games and activities by Renovation Church including photo opportunities with representatives dressed like Batman, Supergirl and Joy from Inside Out.

“When we started talking about taking on the BBQ contest, one of the things we had heard was that the community wished there was more to do besides the BBQ contest. So we decided to try to grow it by adding more activities in the park,” Bailey said. “Because while it’s cool to be able to walk around and see teams compete like you would on Food Network, it’s really nice to be able to do that plus have a meal yourself, plus let your kids play in the park, so we’re really trying to grow into more of a festival with the contest.”

Find more details at uncommoncharacter.com.