5th Annual Suncoast BBQ and Bluegrass Bash to Host Florida BBQ State Championship
Venice, FL (PRWEB) September 22, 2013 -- The Florida BBQ Association (FBA) board of directors chose the 5th Annual Suncoast BBQ & Bluegrass Bash to host the 2014 Florida BBQ State Championship. The event that draws over 10,000, people will be held on April 18 & 19, 2014 at the Venice Municipal Airport special event area in Venice, Florida. In addition, it will be a qualifying contest for the Food Network’s World Food Championship in Las Vegas (the super bowl of all world BBQ contests), the Jack Daniels World BBQ Championship and the American Royal World Series of BBQ.
The Suncoast BBQ and Bluegrass Bash was selected over five other BBQ events being considered for its popularity, location and exceptional organization. Tony Wolfe, president of the Florida BBQ Association stated, “The Venice contest has become one of the premier contests on our circuit. The organizer and the community support are just unbelievable." Additional factors in the Florida BBQ Association’s decision were the recent upgrades to the utilities at the Venice Municipal Airport special event area and the attraction of nationally recognized Bluegrass entertainment. The Suncoast BBQ and Bluegrass Bash is one of the first to blend the two southern traditions of barbecuing and bluegrass music together and the event’s tremendous growth is a testament to the success of the combination. As Nancy Cardwell, executive director of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), commented, “There is a natural connection between bluegrass music and open-air barbecue cooking." Slated to appear in 2014 at the 5th Annual Suncoast BBQ and Bluegrass Bash on Saturday April 19th are IBMA winners The Boxcars and Balsam Range.
The Suncoast BBQ & Bluegrass Bash, a non-profit event to benefit the Suncoast Foundation for Handicapped Children, has become the largest BBQ contest in Southwest Florida. It attracts the nation’s top Pitmasters, certified judges and thousands of barbecue and bluegrass lovers. The 2014 event is anticipated to exceed 2013’s record attendance of over 10,000 providing an even larger economic impact and boost to Venice, Florida’s growing tourism industry. To learn more about the event, visit http://www.SunCoastBBQBash.com.
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About The Suncoast Foundation for Handicapped Children:
In 1985, SFHC was founded to support local non-profits that provide services to the handicapped children of our community.
Today, the SFHC has over 60,000 square feet of buildings that are located on three Campuses; Sarasota, Venice, and North Port. These facilities are leased to non-profit organizations at no charge. The net proceeds from the Suncoast BBQ Bash will be used to support and maintain all of these facilities both now and in the future.
This ensures that the legacies of the instrumental supporters both present and past, like Kevin Brown, John Cox, Kathy Hazard, Gary Jones, John Olliver, Orville Ray, Bill Sirios, Gene Whipp, and Robert Woods, are preserved and that non-profit organizations can continue to serve the special needs children of our community. For more information, visit http://www.SuncoastFoundation.com,
Don Fisher, Suncoast BBQ Bash, http://SuncoastBBQBash.com, 941-809-5232, [email protected]
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