Heartfelt: Rocklands BBQ Hot Sauce Contest Means More Than Ever for One Family
The Snedden Family of Rocklands BBQ has been supporting the D.C. Firefighters Burn Foundation for more than a decade. Never did they expect to be on the receiving end of local D.C. rescue efforts.
Bishop Snedden was out for a run near Logan Circle the day after Thanksgiving when she collapsed and her heart stopped. She was only 27. Turns out she was born with a heart defect that had remained undetected until that moment. Thankfully, she was with her sister and boyfriend who called for help.
She had no pulse for several minutes until rescuers from Engine Company 16 showed up and brought her back.
“I just woke up in the hospital a couple days later and had to be told a couple times what went down ’cause it was just so unbelievable,” Snedden said.
Today, Bishop is doing well and enjoys bringing food to the firehouse to thank the team who saved her life. And the upcoming Rocklands Hot Sauce Contest, which she manages for her family’s restaurant, means more than ever.
“I feel lucky and incredibly grateful,” she says. “I’m back to normal and running again with no complications.”
The 11th annual Rocklands BBQ Hot Sauce Contest is coming up on Thursday, September 12 from 5-8pm at the Arlington location. Contestants are encouraged to harvest peppers from the restaurant’s garden or their own to craft their sauces. Email [email protected] to register your hot sauce. Deadline to enter is Sept. 9.
Join the festive atmosphere on the patio to taste the entries and vote on people’s choice. Sauces will also be formally judged, with prizes in each category. Tickets are $40 in advance, $50 at the door and $15 for children and include all you can eat barbecue and sides, beer, wine, soft drinks and bourbon cocktails all donated by Rocklands.
Bishop and her family are grateful to the team who rescued her that day: Lieutenant Peter Elliott, Firefighter Paramedic Derek McMahan, Firefighter Paramedic Daniel Lottes, Firefighter Paramedic Ryan Bolton, Firefighter Paramedic Spiro Dimakas, Firefighter EMT Kevin Bryant, Firefighter Technician Jeffrey Scire, EMS Battalion Chief Nicole Liriano-Norris, Firefighter EMT Clarence Ziegler, Firefighter EMT Marta Amaya.
