Huddled under the face painting tent, 50 to 60 people waited out a downpour Saturday afternoon at the Maryland State BBQ Bash in Bel Air.

As they waited for the rain to pass, the tent blasted songs such as "My Girl" and "You Are My Sunshine" to entertain parents and children alike.

The 2011 Maryland State BBQ Bash was held in the parking lot of the Mary E. Risteau State Office Building Friday evening and Saturday afternoon and evening.

Despite the rain Saturday, which is rare for the popular midsummer event that was celebrating its 10th anniversary, there were still plenty of people milling about the grounds which featured several crafters, food vendors and the barbecue contest, as well as plenty of free musical acts both days.

Myron Mixon, a barbecue judge from TLC's BBQ Pitmasters and founder of Jack's Old South BBQ, was packing up with his team to beat the rain. Mixon came at a friend's prodding he said, and plans to be back at the BBQ Bash next year.

"[You've] got some of the best in the world, right here in Bel Air," he said of the barbecuing competition.

Mixon and his team, Jack's Old South, were also the Maryland State BBQ Bash Championship Grand Champions this year, with 3 Eyz BBQ as the Reserve Champions. The 2011 Tailgate Challenge Champion was the Nothin' Butt Bones team.

Despite the rain, Mixon said he had a "great time" and enjoyed meeting the 200 to 300 fans who came up to him over the weekend. As a well-known person in the barbecue world, Mixon said his dad got him into the profession and he "never dreamed" he would end up where he is now.

And, he added, he "love[s] it."

"Everything I do revolves around BBQ," he said, adding that whole hog is his favorite dish.

Buck Hennigan's favorite dish, however, was the brisket at this year's BBQ Bash. Hennigan, of Bel Air, came with his five-year-old daughter, Morgan, and some of his in-laws.

"Other than the weather, it's great," Hennigan said.

Morgan, sporting a pink rose on her cheek, declared her favorite part of the day was the face painting.

Hennigan's brother-in-law, Greg Shumbris, was there for the first time, down from New Jersey with his family. Shumbris said the "food was good," and he preferred the ribs.

It was the third time at the Bash for Maria and Mike Russell, of Edgewood, who brought along 3-year-old Haven Russell as they all huddled under the tent.

"Any other time would have been fine, but today sucks," Maria Russell said.

Haven, however, was just pleased with her balloon animal, saying "woof, woof, woof" as she waved the blue dog around.

The rain did hinder attendance for the vendors, but in the face-painting tent children gathered for face painting and caricature drawing to pass time until the storm passed.

Tarja Savonen, of Bel Air, was working for Bambini Family Entertainment painting faces Saturday. She had done for several years, she said, and said it was fun.

"[It] just depends on the weather," she added.

Some things stay the same though as she said little boys preferred Batman and Spiderman masks and little girls wanted butterflies and flowers.

Tina Nicholas's daughter sat down to get her face painted that afternoon, too. Nicholas, of Belcamp, was running a vendor tent for the first time this year, but had attended the BBQ Bash in the past.

"It's fun," she said, "unfortunately there's a lot of rain."

She did point out, however, that the kid's tent was a nice feature. Stephanie and Michael Wenger, of Belcamp, were enjoying the dry spot under the "Little Piggy Zone," with 10-month-old son, Nathaniel.

The group had just arrived during the downpour, so they hadn't had much time to explore, but said they had fun in the past.

"[It's] a fun thing to do as a family," Stephanie Wenger said.

The weekend drew 20,000 to 25,000 people, according to Bel Air Downtown Alliance Executive Director Scott Walker, whose organization was the event's prime sponsor.

Attendance was down, especially on Saturday, as the rain kept some people away, but overall Walker was pleased with the turnout.

"I thought it went great," he said Monday afternoon. "Despite the rain that we got on Saturday, we still had plenty of crowds come out."

Friday, especially, was packed, he said and had what he called a "record turnout."

"It was a great weekend," he reiterated. "The volunteers did a fantastic job."