Barbecue cookoff set for Saturday at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium

More than 20 teams are competing in a barbecue cooking contest this Saturday, April 28, in the parking lot at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium to help provide college scholarships for children of first responders.

The event, called “So You Think You Can Cook?” is sponsored by Hometown Lenders and will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The public is invited to come sample the barbecue cooked by the teams. Admission costs $10 but is free for children ages 10 and younger and first responders with proper identification, said Chris Mileski, business development coordinator for Hometown Lenders.

The admission fee includes the barbecue, doughnuts from Heavenly Donuts, cookies from Bud’s Best Cookies, ice cream, potato chips, Coca-Cola and a beer ticket from Birmingham Budweiser (for adults only), Mileski said.

Saturday’s cookoff also will include live music, a disc jockey, inflatables and prize giveaways, he said. Judging likely will start about 12:30 p.m., and the winners are expected to be announced about 2 p.m.

As of today, there were eight corporate teams committed to compete and 14 teams made up of first responders from various cities throughout the Birmingham-Hoover metro area and beyond, Mileski said.

Corporations taking part in the event include All Choice Insurance, AllState agent Chad Watts, Avast Realty, Birmingham City Credit Union, Cliff Hardy Attorney at Law, Jefferson Title, ServPro of Birmingham and South Oak Title. First responder teams include police departments from Cullman, Gadsden, Homewood, Irondale, Pelham and Trussville and fire departments from Birmingham, Center Point, Cullman, Homewood, Hoover, Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills.

The teams can compete in three categories: chicken, pork and other, Mileski said.

All money raised from the event will go toward $2,000 scholarships for children of first responders, he said. Applications are distributed to schools and police and fire departments in the metro area, and applicants must write an essay that will be judged by a college English teacher, Mileski said.

This is the third year that Hometown Lenders has held events to raise money for scholarships, he said. The past two years, the company has sponsored 5K runs in the spring and fall. Last year, the 5K runs generated $12,000, including money from corporate sponsors and donations, Mileski said. The total for the past two years is $20,000 to $25,000, he said.