Gadsden, AL- The 10th Smoke on the Falls BBQ Competition is sure to be the best ever; slated for Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13th the exciting event is presented by City of Gadsden Parks and Recreation Department. The highlight of the weekend is the Kansas City Barbecue Society Certified Barbecue contest pitting 80 teams in the Professional and Backyard divisions. Cooks from far and wide will be competing for more than $3,000 in the Backyard division and more than $11,000 in the Professional division. In celebration of the tenth anniversary, we are excited to have featured attractions like the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile and the Talladega Superspeedway’s pace car.
The Dean’s Sausage Cook-off returns this year. Cooks are challenged on Friday night to try their hand at crafting a winning dish featuring Dean’s Sausage. In addition to the Dean’s Sausage Cook-off on Friday, there will be a meet and greet with the pit masters and team members. Saturday features another special contest for competitors after their BBQ turn in, the Cheeseburger in Paradise contest, judged by the local Coosa Landshark Parrot Head Club.
We are happy to celebrate the opening of our 4th phase of the Black Creek Trail: we will have the ribbon cutting at 5 p.m. Phase 4 includes a skills course that is kid friendly as well as connector trails. We will provide a guided tour for all ages. The Friday evening event is free to attend and open to the public.
The barbecue competition opens to the public at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 13th. Admission to the competition is $5 for ages 4 and up and free for children 3 and under. Your ticket includes admission and entry for a chance to win tickets to the Talladega 500. Local food and craft vendors will be set up during the event and have items available for purchase. Entertainment will be available throughout the day with Gadsden State Show Band starting at 10:30 a.m., followed by the Parrot Heads at 2 p.m.
There will be a Popeye’s chicken and biscuit eating contest at 12:30 p.m. Make sure to stop by to see the Talladega Superspeedway’s official pace car and register to win prizes, tour the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, meet the Hotdoggers, get an iconic wiener whistle, and more! Visit the Coca-Cola Fun Zone for inflatables, The Factory’s obstacle course, and farming fun activities with Ag in Action.
Many competitors will offer free samples after they have submitted their entries, so look out for signs at team tables. The weekend concludes with an award ceremony for the Smoke on the Falls barbecue contest at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
For more information contact Janet Tarrance, Parks and Recreation Department at jtarrance@cityofgadsden.com or by calling 256-549-4643.
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