DEMOPOLIS- One of the rookie teams in this year’s Best Burger in Bama Competition is the team of Tombigbee EMS or otherwise known as the “Meat Savers.”

The “Meat Savers” are comprised of 10 members of the Tombigbee Emergency Medical Services unit in Demopolis. The members include Albert (Doc) Murdock, Angela Sheffield, Jason McDanal, Mitchell Snipes, Lisa Ford, Wayne Stokes, Brady Tew, Steve Walters, Matthew Black, and William Ferguson.

“We are taking this contest very seriously,” Snipes said, “We’ve been testing different tastes of meat, sauces, and buns just to make sure we’re ready.

Our approach to this competition is all about teamwork because in the EMS field, teamwork is the most important thing when lives are at stake, Ford said. The team plans to walk away with the championship because there will be a few surprises that the judges have never seen before.

“We’ve probably made about 30 hamburgers during the week to make sure we have the right combination of ingredients,” Ford said.

This team is ready to make a good showing for all the EMS medics everywhere, Snipes said. Everything the team has done to get ready for this competition will pay off in the end.

“We have a secret sauce that we will unveil during the contest as well,” Snipes said.

Braxton Spahos, event chairman said this is always a very entertaining event for the residents of Demopolis and the rest of West Alabama. This is the fourth year that this competition has been held and every year it gets better.

“We have always had a good turnout in the number of teams that compete in the contest and the support from the people of Demopolis is always strong,” Spahos said.

There are eight teams competing in this year’s competition and they are Foster Farms, Commercial Bank of Demopolis, Tombigbee EMS, Harper Chambers Lumber (last year’s champion), Power Burgers (Green County Steam Plant), Linden Lumber, Demopolis Rotary Club, and Burger Boys.

“We have last year’s champion returning to defend his crown and we also have many new comers this year, who are looking to make their mark on the contest,” Spahos said.

There are many different aspects that go into making this competition what it is today, he said. The first of these aspects is the presentation of the burger to the judges. This can be done in the form of a song or skit or even a story, he said.

The second part is the appearance of the burger. The third part is the overall taste of the burger, and finally the overall impression is scored.

“The judges will grade all the teams from 7-10 and then announce the winners after the final judging has been completed,” Spahos said.

The event will start at 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 3, along with the entertainment that will also start at 6 p.m.