Enter Swine & Dandy Cookoff

Professional and amateur “backyard” barbecue teams are invited to enter the Swine & Dandy Charity Cookoff  Saturday, Oct. 22, at Rogers Bridge Park in Duluth. Sponsored by the Women’s Club of Sugarloaf Country Club Charities Inc., the event will benefit Hands of Christ Cooperative Ministry in Duluth, Family Promise of Gwinnett County, the Pregnancy Resource Center of Gwinnett County, and Rainbow Village of Duluth.

The teams will compete for part of a $7,500 purse to be awarded to top entries in overall and individual categories chosen by a panel of certified and celebrity judges. Categories include chicken, ribs, pork butt, and brisket. Entry fee is $200 per team.

The event will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free for non-competitors who can purchase barbecue samples and vote for the “People’s Choice” award while watching cooking demonstrations, sipping their favorite brew, and listening to country and bluegrass music. There will also be family-friendly activities including inflatables, carnival-type rides, a cakewalk, and pumpkin patch.

Restaurants and caterers can pay a $200 fee to set up vendor booths and sell their products.

Competitors will be treated to a fajita buffet Friday evening. Sponsors, judges and competitors will be given the opportunity to play in a 9-hole scramble at Sugarloaf Country Club on Friday afternoon (limit 52 golfers). A boxed lunch will be provided at the course.

Swine & Dandy is being organizaed by PGA golfer Stewart Cink and his wife Lisa, who recently appeared before the Duluth City Council and obtained the city’s sponsorship for the event. Hennessy Jaguar/Land Rover of Gwinnett is the presenting sponsor.

Entry forms, judge and vendor applications are available on the website.