Stokin The Fire August 23, 2007

Stokin' the Fire BBQ Festival is a two day celebration of great BBQ and great entertainment. At the cornerstone of the event is a world-class BBQ competition, sanctioned by the prestigious Kansas City Barbeque Society. The competition will pit up to 72 professional BBQers from around the country against each other for $20,000 in cash and prizes. At the same time, as many as 50 local amateur BBQ teams will compete for honors and prizes.

In addition to all day headliner music on the "Hog Wild" Stage, visitors can purchase BBQ from nationally acclaimed BBQ vendors, enjoy "global grilling" demonstrations by chefs from some of Birmingham's best restaurants, and visit the "Sloss Store" to purchase one-of-a-kind metal art, created by the Sloss Metal Artists. There will also be continuous entertainment on water tower stage in the newly expanded Kids Zone with a variety of amusements and arts and crafts.

That's not all. The festival will also feature cooking demonstrations and presentations by Southern Living's "BBQ on Tour" chef, Char-Broil, and Sara Lee. Talladega will also be on hand with their official pace car and interactive games and activities. There will truly be something for everyone!

The Stokin' the Fire BBQ Festival opens to the public at 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 24.
Hours on Friday are from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Hours on Saturday, Aug. 25, are from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Admission to the festival is $10 per day for adults or $15 for an advance, two-day pass. Kids ages 5-12 are $5 per day. Children under 5 are free. All net proceeds will support the expansion and restoration of Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark.

Tickets to the festival are available at Birmingham-area Piggly Wiggly stores and at Sloss Furnaces.

To check out the stellar music lineup, go to www.slossfurnaces.com and click on "Stokin' the Fire"

Official Website: http://stokin.slossfurnaces.com/