At the first White Rock Que, four barbecue-obsessed buddies vied for the best-brisket title. In pouring rain, 40 or so acquaintances assembled to sample their savory submissions, recalls Lake Highlands resident Trish McCoy, one of a tight-knit group of pals who cofounded the event. Just three years later, the 2016 Que — set for Saturday, June 4, from 5-9 p.m. at Oak Highlands Brewery, 10484 Brockwood — promises sprawling, booming festivities with hundreds of White Rock-area neighbors bonding over savory meats, live music and craft brew while generating a significant sum of money for The Rape Crisis Center of Dallas.
“We officially started it just for fun in 2013 but last year decided to raise money for the Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center,” says McCoy, explaining that one of her friends, another cofounder of White Rock Que, was one of three victims in a series of sexual assaults that shook our neighborhood in spring 2013. That a harrowing crime spree inspired the fundraising aspect of White Rock Que, is worth noting, the women say, but they would rather focus on the $10,000 they aim to raise this time around. The money will help rape survivors and their families reclaim their lives, says the woman who survived an attack in her Lake Highlands home. DARCC is a rape crisis center for local sexual assault survivors, and she says the organization helped her begin to heal. They provide advocacy, crisis intervention, counseling, prevention education and support to anyone impacted by sexual violence. “Things like sitting with victims at the hospital, advising you how to preserve evidence of the crime — things [victims] wouldn’t even think of [in the immediate aftermath of a rape],” she says. This year, Oak Highlands Brewery lends its large warehouse and lot to the so-called White Rock Que BBQ Caucus. There, six teams will compete to see who makes the best brisket and pork. Attendees cast votes for The People’s Choice Champion. Tickets are $10 and $5 for kids under 12. In March 2014, a Dallas judge sentenced Cesar Benitez to 85 years in prison for the sexual attacks and burglaries of three Lake Highlands women in 2013. The victims all testified at trial, helping to put the 33-year-old rapist behind bars.