COLUMBUS (WCMH) — One of the hottest days of the year feels even hotter for the cooks at the Columbus Jazz and Rib Fest.

With so many rib stands at the festival, there are also many barbeque pitmasters, many of whom said that it’s already hot outside, but when they open the grill, it feels like they are face-to-face with the devil himself.

Many said they have been chugging water by the gallons to stay cool and hydrated. Some even said they have had water fights with other booths.

“That’s pumping real hot,” said pitmaster Kreig Rowe of Big Bad Wolf barbeque. “That’s hotter than it is outside, so when you walk off, it doesn’t feel as hot out here. You take a breeze, that breeze comes in and you embrace it. Then you drink lots of fluids. Take towels and put them on your neck.”

J. Windom and his family flipped ribs all day at Austin’s Texas Lightning rib stand.

To beat the heat, they said drinking water just isn’t enough.

“I got a permanent shade on my head,” J. Windom said. “Get water, cool off, hide out in the refrigerated truck.”

“Definitely, we’ve had a lot of water fights to cool ourselves down,” said Madison Windom.

“My daughter runs her mouth a lot, so it’s a constant wind going up and down through there,” J. Windom added with a laugh.

Rowe said he found the heat to be a little too much at times.

“It’s pretty hot here,” he said. “I’m sweating from places I didn’t even know I can sweat in. I think I have hair sweating.”

For the beverage stands at the festival, however, these types of complaints mean good business.

“We have been quite busy,” said Sarah Maris of Seivers’ Concessions. “It’s hot out here. We have been selling lemonade and sweet teas all day.”

While temperatures reached 94 degrees Friday, with humidity making it feel like it was over 100 degrees, it is expected to be even hotter Saturday.

However, that’s not stopping any of the pitmasters from returning to the festival for the rest of the weekend.