LAKE PLACID – From Saturday to Monday, the Olympic Speedskating Oval will host the annual I Love BBQ and Music Festival.

The 11th year of the festival merges a worthy cause, great eats, barbecue competition, the region’s top musicians and some of the most radical BMX and FMX (freestyle) motocross exhibitions allowed by law.

The event is the primary annual fundraiser for the Shipman Youth Center in Lake Placid, located just down the street from the barbecue festival venue. Well over $200,000 has been raised thus far for youth programs since the inception of the festival.

The namesake of the Shipman Youth Center, Lake Placid police officer Thomas Shipman, created this facility as part of his caring for the community’s youngsters.

Event organizer Dmitry Feld, of Lake Placid, has kept that flame burning brightly.

“Each year it’s important that we remember Tom, whose vision was to have a place for our youth to gather in a wholesome, educational and fun environment,” said Feld, the marketing manager for USA Luge, which has wrapped its arms around this event.

“We’re also interested in raising the bar a bit each year. We started with only food, added music, and then the kid’s activities. Now we have these bike exhibitions and a mechanical bull. There’s something for everyone. And, of course, you can’t overlook the food.”

The festival has received kudos from the Kansas City Barbecue Society, delish.com, Rachel Ray and most recently, USA Today as a top barbecue festival in the country.

There is a complete schedule of events at www.ilbbqf.com/schedule-of-events-2.

Although a number of vendors offer summertime barbecue fare at the festival, over the years there has been an increasing demand from the public to taste the products from the teams.

The I Love BBQ and Music Festival and the I Love New York Horse Show have partnered to offer reciprocal admission. Anyone holding a pass to one of these events will receive complimentary admission to the other.

Daily admission is $5, with children under 10 admitted free of charge.

The festival is alcohol and tobacco-free.