Barbecue festival gets go-ahead from council

• By VIC COUVILLION
• Special to The Advocate
• Published: Jan 7, 2009 - Page: 5B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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HAMMOND — The City Council consented Tuesday to allow the Historic Downtown Hammond District to serve again as host site for the It’s A Smokin’ Blues and Barbeque Challenge.

This year’s event will be March 27-28.

Cindy Watts, who requested approval of seven resolutions related to the Smokin’ Blues and Barbeque event, said it grows every year.

She estimated between 50,000 and 60,000 visitors would attend the March event pairing a barbecue cooking contest with live blues music productions.

Chefs from throughout the nation participate in the barbecue cook-off, Watts reminded the council.

She said that last year, the festival raised in excess of $40,000 for a local charity. Profits from this year’s event would be donated to the Tangipahoa Association for Retarded Citizens and the Louisiana Special Olympics, Watts said.

The first of the resolutions — all approved unanimously by the council — set the location and time of the event. Activities will be conducted primarily between 3 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. each day.

The major events and entertainment stages will be along Cate Street and Southwest Railroad Avenue.

Other ordinances cleared the way for: blocking some streets in the area during the festival; allowing for the sale of beer during festival hours and waiving of the city’s open container laws.

The council granted a waiver from the city’s noise ordinance during the festival and promised assistance from the police and fire departments.

In an unrelated matter, the council unanimously denied an Expanded Conditional Zoning designation for a new snowball stand at 1307 Apple St. requested by Michael McGee.

Several residents complained to the council that the Apple Street area is already a scene of loud partying, especially on weekends, and that McGee’s snowball stand would only create additional problems.

Councilman Johnny Blount, who represents the Apple Street area, said that in addition to more noise, traffic congestion could be a problem in the area where the developer sought to place the snowball stand.