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The Plant City Courier & Tribune
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6th Annual Pig Fest Expects To Be Jammin'
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Published: November 19, 2008
PLANT CITY - With $15,000 in prize money and bragging rights at stake, competition is heating up for Saturday's sixth annual Pig Jam competition.
The popular family-style event attracts professional chefs from across the nation, and this year will be no exception, said Chris Sparkman, co-coordinator of the daylong festival.
Competitors from as far away as North and South Dakota and Kansas participated in last year's event, said Marion Smith, president of the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, sponsor of the Pig Jam.
"We have a good return rate," so turnout is expected to come close to that this year, Sparkman said.
As of last week, 55 contestants had registered, Smith said.
"They're coming in slow but steady," she said of contestants' applications. "We're gearing up for a great event."
The 2007 Pig Jam featured 54 professional teams and about 30 amateur teams. The event attracted an estimated 10,000 people.
"The weather is always perfect, so they enjoy coming down for what is a wrap-up of their circuit," Sparkman said of the traveling barbecue pros.
The competition, sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society, provides cash awards for the top finishers in each of four categories: pork, ribs, beef brisket and chicken. Prizes are traditionally awarded just before the 5 p.m. conclusion. Gates open at 10 a.m.
The festival at the Randy L. Larson Four-Plex, 1500 S. Park Road, next to Plant City Stadium, will feature more than barbecue.
Buck Hummer and the Pickups, a Plant City group, will perform from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sparkman said. Other musical groups also will perform.
For college football fans, a sports tent sponsored by Budweiser will feature big-screen televisions tuned to the afternoon's games.
Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 865-4433.
IF YOU GO
Sixth Annual Pig Jam
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Randy L. Larson Softball Four-Plex, 1500 S. Park Road, next to Plant City Stadium
ADMISSION: Free; prices for barbecue vary
PARKING: $5
INFORMATION: Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, (813) 754-3707 or 1-800-760-2315; info@plantcity.org; www.plantcity.org
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