7 months ago
Music and barbecue lovers braved the cold temperatures Saturday and took over Luther Williams Field, gathering for the Macon's first annual Fly South Festival.
The barbecue competition took off Friday evening and continued into Saturday.
Lonnie Smith, head cook with Team Bubba Grills, never intended to bite his way into competitive barbecuing.
"We started out building grills and as a hobby pretty much, just having a good time and low and behold we went to a competition and it's addictive," he said between visits from judges, but once the smoke and grills got to him it became a done deal.
"Once you do it just once and you win a trophy. I've spent thousands and thousands of dollars to win a little plastic trophy and then once you get one you want a bigger one and once you get two you want three," said Smith.
He's well on his way now with more than 200 trophies to the Bubba Grills name. Some even signed by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue and President Jimmy Carter.
Smith and his crew travel all over the country for barbecue events like Macon's new Fly South Festival. He says he's glad he won't have to travel far from his Haddock home to throw his hog into a Central Georgia cook-off.
"I'm ecstatic!" said Smith, "some of probably the top ten teams in the nation are here."
Andrew Blascovich sits on the board of directors for Macon's Bragg Jam Festival, a co- sponsor of the event. He says Macon Mayor Robert Reichert asked the group about another festival Macon could put on during the fall and winter months.
The group came up with hosting a Memphis in May barbecue festival and concert. Funds raised by the event will go to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
"It's something that we really think is important to Macon and we want to de everything that we can to show our support for it," said Blascovich.
Bragg Jam teamed up with the City of Macon and the Community Foundation of Central Georgia for the project.
"When we can see the halls of fame be successful, see central city the exchange club all the things in the neighborhood, we're proud of that," said Smith.
