Rachel MinskePress-Gazette Media

Ethan and Alex Hance of Grand Rapids, Mich. have raised $2,000 for a domestic abuse shelter in Green Bay after a failed lemonade stand attempt.

Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest will take place July 11 and 12 at Leicht Memorial Park, 128 Dousman St.

The annual barbecue competition is expected to raise funds in the six-figure range this year.

Every kid has had the dream of making it big at an afternoon lemonade stand.

That dream didn't come true for Ethan and Alex Hance. The brother and sister duo set out to raise money for Golden House, a service for victims of domestic abuse in Green Bay. The kids' father, Josh Hance, is participating in the Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay on July 11 and 12. The barbecue competition will benefit Golden House.

After an afternoon of slow sales during their parent's rummage sale, Ethan, 11, and Alex, 7, were disappointed to learn they had only raised eight dollars.

"My son was very disappointed," Josh said. "As a proud dad I posted it on Facebook. It kind of snowballed from there."

Hance posted a photograph of his kids holding their lemonade sign on the social media site asking friends, family and coworkers to spare any extra change for the cause. His Facebook friends responded immediately. Within a few minutes of posting the request, one friend offered to match the $8. A few hours later, the donation amount was $150.

The family lives near Grand Rapids, Mich., but donations came pouring in from complete strangers across eight states. Hance said he never imagined one simple Facebook post would amount to so much.

"It was $400 by the end of the day," he said. "My son started to tear up when we hit $1,000." The kids had raised more than $2,000 Monday morning and will continue to fundraise until the first day of the barbecue competition.

Each team participating in the Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned competition will be responsible for preparing four different types of meats — chicken, beef, pork and brisket. The competition drew 12 barbecue teams and raised $90,000 last year, said Steve Krueger, vice president of Golden House's Board of Directors. There are 43 teams signed up to compete this year, and the event will be capped at 48.

"It's a good cause," Krueger said. He added Golden House expects to raise funds in the "six-figure range" this year. To register, each team must pay $250 or pledge to raise $500 to benefit Golden House.

In addition to a cook-off, the two-day event will also include kids' games, a pie and wing eating contest, a bean bag competition and much more. All events will take place July 11-12 at Leicht Memorial Park, 128 Dousman St.

Ethan and Alex Hanson will continue to raise money until the first day of the Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest. To donate to the cause visit bit.ly/1lsO5Sw.

E-mail Rachel at rminske@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter at @rachelfminske.

Learn more

For more information on the Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay visit greenbaybbq.com.