Gadsden, AL-  Smoke on the Falls, presented by City of Gadsden Parks and Recreation Department, is back Friday April 7th- Saturday April 8th at the Noccalula Falls Campground for the 8th year.  The highlight of the weekend is the Kansas City Barbecue Society Certified Barbecue contests pitting 48 teams in the Professional and Backyard divisions.  Cooks from far and wide will be fiercely competing for more than $3,000 in the Backyard division and more than $11,000 in the Professional division. 

The Dean’s Sausage Cook-off returns this year sponsored by Dean’s and H.M. Freeman Motors. Cooks are challenged on Friday night to try their hand at crafting a winning dish featuring Dean’s Sausage. This year the “Smoke Your Buns” 5K race through Noccalula Falls Park and along Black Creek Trail will be chip-timed and participants can sign up online at https://register.chronotrack.com/r/27181.

The weekend kicks off with the Dean’s Sausage Cook-off on Friday with a meet and greet with the pit masters and team members open to the public at 5 p.m.

Saturday begins early with the “Smoke Your Buns” 5K run starting at 8 a.m. and the barbecue festival opens to the public at 10 a.m.  Admission to the festival is $5 for ages 4 and up and free for children 3 and under. Smoke on the Falls will have a special celebrity judge comedian/YouTube star Darren Knight known as “Southern Mama.”  Visitors can meet “Southern Mama” at the stage before judging starts.

 Visitors are encouraged to watch as teams face-off in events KCBS sanctioned competitions in Chicken, Brisket, Ribs and Pork/Butt.  Some competitors will offer free samples after they’ve submitted their entries, so be on the lookout for signs at team tables.  The weekend concludes with results and award ceremony from the Smoke on the Falls barbecue contest at 4 p.m.

For more information contact Janet Tarrance, Parks and Recreation Department jtarrance@cityofgadsden.com   256-549-4643.

###