In 2024, a group of local barbecue cooks and judges brought back an Athens BBQ Contest that had been dormant for 10 years — now known as the Singing River Smoke-O-Rama.

The annual barbecue contest, sanctioned by Kansas City Barbecue Society, name comes from the Yuchi Indians who called the Tennessee River the “Singing River,” because they believed a woman who lived in the river would sing to the tribe.

As a charitable organization, it supports worthwhile local organizations. For example, the first contest raised sufficient funds to donate $10,000 to the Singing River Trail — a 200-mile greenway that spans through all of the North Alabama counties along the Tennessee River from the Natchez Trace to Lookout Mountain, Tennessee.

Through the generosity of local sponsors and cook teams, who paid entry fees to compete, additional money was able to be awarded to the top cook teams from the Singer River Smoke-O-Rama.

The inaugural contest, which was held at the Limestone County Sheriff’s Rodeo Arena in 2024, featured 38 teams competing in an all-night long rain storm. As the National Weather Service extended wind advisories and the field began to flood, teams threw down for a slice of the $5,000 prize money — where the grand champion took home $1,500.

In addition to the sanctioned barbecue contest, there was a “People’s Choice” contest where 125 people voted for their favorite pulled pork. Many hand-made items and paintings were also sold in a craft fair, as kids enjoyed several other activities on the Rodeo’s surrounding grounds.

The second annual KCBS sanctioned Singing River Trail Smoke-O-Rama will also be held at the Limestone County Sheriff’s Rodeo on March 21-22. Profits from the contest will help provide funds for the Limestone County Sheriff’s Special Needs Rodeo and the Athens Police Department’s annual  “Shop with a Cop” event.

On Friday, March 21, the Corkshire Butcher Company of Athens will sponsor a steak ancillary contest. Two steaks will be furnished for each participant immediately following a cook meeting at 4 p.m. One steak is for practice cooking and the other will be presented to the judges at 6:30 p.m. The steak will be judged on appearance, taste and tenderness by the sponsors and local dignitaries. The winner of the steak competition will be awarded $500 and the second-place winner will receive $250.

On Saturday, March 22, the barbecue contest will consist of chicken and pork ribs. The KCBS competition will be immediately followed by two ancillary contests with desserts and sausage donated by Conecuh Sausage from Evergreen, Alabama. Certified barbecue judges will score these contests in accordance with the established judging rules.

This year’s contest is expected to draw in upward of 50 teams, according to the Singing River Smoke-O-Rama Committee. There will be food trucks, a corn hole contest and arts and crafts vendors.

For more information on the event, please visit singingriversmokeorama.com or contact Singing River Smoke-O-Rama Committee President Don Byford at 256-777-5211. Feel free to also contact Committee Vice President Lynn Rager at 256-431-3754 or Committee Secretary Brian Godsey at 256-797-8911 for further details.