13th annual “Best of the Bay” Gumbo Championship and Fall Festival

Mark your calendars, Fairhope! It’s the Eastern Shore Kiwanis Club’s biggest fundraiser of the year, which means loads of fun for a great cause. Don’t miss it. A ladle of the good stuff about this event, below:

Let’s Go! Fairhope interviewed Mr. Ashley Bell, who has been coordinating this event for thirteen years now:

What is the most exciting part of this family-friendly annual event?

The most exciting thing about this event is there are so many different ways to make gumbo. We never know what recipes are going to be there, and there’s always something for everyone. Seafood gumbo, non-seafood, some with okra, others without it, some have sausage, you name it. There have even been vegan gumbo recipes in the past. The secret sauces will leave you trying to figure out those special ingredients, and the cooking teams don’t usually give up the details.

What’s the goal of this fun-filled day?

The goal of the event is to raise money for all of the wonderful things the Eastern Shore Kiwanis Club does for youth in Baldwin County. The schools meet with us every year to review projects that would enhance the educational experience for the students of Baldwin County. It’s a great way to help them accomplish the projects they’d like to do.

In addition to helping the schools, we also maintain Kiwanis Park on Fels Avenue in Fairhope. The Backpack Program, in cooperation with the Fairhope Police Department, is one of our annual projects.

We also help support groups including Fairhope High School Key Club, Fairhope Middle School Builders’ Club, Robertsdale High School Key Club, J. Larry Newton School, Fairhope West Elementary, Fairhope East Elementary, Fairhope Educational Enrichment Foundation (FEEF), and the Mobile Area Boy Scouts.

Image courtesy of Eastern Shore Kiwanis

Image courtesy of Eastern Shore Kiwanis

Image courtesy of Eastern Shore Kiwanis

The deadline for registering for a booth is Friday, October 25th.

The deadline to sign up as a cooking team is Friday, October 25th.

Image courtesy of Eastern Shore Kiwanis

What else will be going on at the Gumbo Championship event?

Mr. Cecil Christenberry will be the event Emcee, and WhiteLang will be playing live music.

We’ll have lots going on:

Vendors/Booths & Children’s Activities

It’s a full fall festival. There will be arts and crafts booths and baked goods. There will be a big slide, bounce house, and face painting for the kids. Frios will be there. This event is always a lot of fun.

Hometown Heroes & Veterans-of-the-Year

Hometown Heroes is dedicated to the memory and honor of our beloved deceased Veterans. There will be a small bio and banner. This year we’ll feature a 1944 photo of Bob Star who was a long-time Kiwaian who died last year.

We also collaborate with the American Legion Post 199 to highlight the Veterans-of-the-Year in partnership with the City of Fairhope. It’s designed to be a very family-friendly event.

Image courtesy of Eastern Shore Kiwanis

Who does the judging?

Judging is carried out by certified professionals from the World Food Championship organization.

What are the awards?

There are award categories for professional cooking teams as well as novice cooks, plus the “Best Decorated Booth” and “People’s Choice Award.” The overall winning team has an opportunity to travel to Indianapolis to participate in the World Food Championships competitions.

A really cool aspect of this competition is that the restaurant winner gets to keep and display the traveling trophy bowl for a year. This past year, the winner was Pearl, located in downtown Fairhope. The bowl was made by local artist Donna Kemp at The Kiln Studio.

What else should people know?

Kids age 12 and under are free. Bring blankets and chairs because the band is great, and you’ll want to stay. It’s an enclosed area so the kids can enjoy, and folks can kick back and relax. There will be water and Coke products for sale.

Image courtesy of Eastern Shore Kiwanis

Image courtesy of Eastern Shore Kiwanis

What about Sponsors?

We have lots of great sponsors every year, and we are always looking to add to our list. There are four sponsorship levels ranging from $100 – $1000.

Are you still looking for vendors and booths?

Yes. The deadline for registering for a booth is Friday, October 25th. Contact Mr. Ashley Bell: 812-350-8808. It’s free to set up a booth.

What about cooking teams? Can anyone compete with a gumbo recipe?

Another exciting aspect of this annual championship is anyone in the community – businesses, church groups, friends, restaurants small and large – can all participate. Each team has to bring 5 gallons of gumbo for sampling. It’s free to register and compete.

There are really diverse teams that get involved, and it’s a lot of fun to see that. We have both professional restaurants as well as novice gumbo groups providing gumbo, so we like to see that variety.

The deadline to sign up as a cooking team is Friday, October 25th. Contact Mr. Ashley Bell: 812-350-8808.

How to get tickets to the Gumbo Championship:

Scan this QR Code

– OR –

Visit this website:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/13th-annual-best-of-the-bay-eastern-shore-kiwanis-gumbo-championship-tickets-991394937947

Eastern Shore Kiwanis Information:

www.facebook.com/p/Eastern-Shore-Kiwanis-100064653401188

Images above courtesy of Eastern Shore Kiwanis.

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