Get ready for the 20th Annual Bayou Boogaloo & Cajun Food Festival!!
What: 20th Annual AT&T Bayou Boogaloo and Cajun Food Festival
When: Friday, July 31 - Sunday, August 2, 2009
Time: Friday: Noon - 4pm Free Admission Lunch Preview
Friday: 5pm - 10pm, Saturday: Noon - 10 pm and Sunday: Noon - 6pm
Where: Town Point Park, Downtown Norfolk, Virginia
Admission: Ticketed & Everyone is Welcome

The Bayou Boogaloo & Cajun Food Festival is Norfolk's annual love-fest with New Orleans' special spirit and unique Bayou culture.  This popular 3-day festival delivers the heart and soul of Louisiana to visitors to Town Point Park in true Cajun and Creole style.

Three stages featuring national recording artists and many local New Orleans musicians will get your hands clapping, feet 2-stepin' and heart pumping through the weekend.

NEW - Carrie B Bayou Cruise: Bayou guests can experience the romance, history, and fun of aboard a 19th century replica of a Mississippi Paddlewheeler. The Carrie B will be onsite throughout Bayou Boogaloo weekend providing short cruise excursions or just a place to hang out and have a drink on the river.

The New Orleans Art Gallery returns for a 3rd year! The outrageously successful gallery hosts many artists who continue to recover from the storms that have plagued the Louisiana artist community. Boogalooers will have an opportunity to meet the artists who will be onsite selling their art and sharing their stories.

In addition to art and music, a horde of  interactive family activities take place all weekend long including, cooking demonstrations, hot pepper and crawfish chow-down contests, Jackson Square-style free caricature artist sketches, Roaming jugglers, mask making and so much more!

...And no Bayou party would be complete without the mouthwatering Cajun delicacies prepared by authentic Louisiana inspired chefs.  Feast on crawfish, jambalaya, gumbo, etoufee, alligator, sausages and beignets all served up with plenty of ice-cold beverages - adding up to a weekend full of non-stop eating, singing and dancing!

Michigan Brewers Guild 12th Annual Summer Beer Festival - July 24-25, 2009 - Ypsilanti, MI

The Michigan Brewers Guild’s Summer Beer Festival is a showcase event featuring well over 200 beers from more than 30 Michigan breweries. Friday, July 24th, 2009. 5:00pm to 9:00pm Saturday, July 25th, 2009. 1:00pm to 6:00pm Tickets go on sale May 1st. We are hosting a ticket kick off party which is open to the public. Party details at www.mbgmash.org Friday admission is $25 in advance and $30 at the gate if available Saturday admission is $30 in advance and $35 at the gate if available Due to limited ticket availability advance purchase is encouraged. Tickets will be available at participating member breweries, select retail outlets, on line and by phone beginning May 2nd. For updated locations visit the MASH at www.mbgmash.org . Phone orders will be accepted at 877 772 5425. For assistance with online ticketing, please call 888 695 0888. Admission allows access to all beer and entertainment and includes 12 drink tokens. Additional tokens will be available for purchase inside the Festival for 50 cents each. The Festival also features live entertainment and food will be available for purchase. Rain or shine, the Festival goes on. Enthusiast members will be allowed to enter one hour early with a valid membership card. Enthusiast membership is available through our website. Designated Driver tickets are available on line or at the gate for $5 and are not subject to sell out. DDs must be 21 or older. No one under the age of 21 will be allowed into the festival. Hotel information and additional updates will be posted on the MASH at www.mbgmash.org Ypsilanti's Special Event Ordinance section 10-288(c) prohibits the following within the special event area: dogs (except service dogs), horses, farm animals, uncaged domestic animals, snakes, exotic animals, bicycles, skateboards, roller-skates, rollerblades, and glass containers. For additional information contact Scott Graham at director@michiganbrewersguild.org or 517 327 5004. Thank you for your interest. We look forward to seeing you at the Summer Beer Festival!

Grab a Slice of Summer at the Louisiana Watermelon Festival. From seed spitting to melon eating, the largest melon contest, melon decorating, and the melon auction, watermelons will take over the small town of Farmerville for three fun-filled days. Thousands are expected to convene on the streets of Farmerville as the Watermelon Festival celebrates summer with great live music, classic backyard food as well as other favorites, and a colorful mix of good time games, craft booths and activities for adults and children alike. The 46th Annual Louisiana Watermelon Festival will be held from July 23rd – July 25th, 2009 and admission to the Festival is FREE for all.

The Annual Louisiana Watermelon Festival takes place in Farmerville, Louisiana, and was founded by the Farmerville Jaycees. The very first Louisiana Watermelon Festival was held during the weekend of July 26-27, back in 1963. In fact, the Festival has been such a success, that it has been named one of the Top Twenty Events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society.

The Festival begins each year with the first half of the Miss Watermelon Pageant, which is one of the longest continual running pageants in the state. The Thursday night pageant categories include the Baby Miss, Tiny Miss, Little Miss and Junior Miss contestants. This is followed by a Friday night street dance, featuring a live band, great food and a variety of great booths to shop at. Be sure to also stop by the Jaycee tent to purchase your official Louisiana Watermelon Festival T-Shirts and Posters. You can also visit the Festival Shirt and Festival Poster pages for more information, and to see this year's designs, as well as past designs. Saturday activities begin early in the morning, from the parade, to watermelon eating, seed spitting and auctioning, arm wrestling, and we even have a motorcycle poker run! The Festival is concluded each year with the crowning of the new Miss Louisiana Watermelon Festival on Saturday night. If you are looking for specific information about the Festival, be sure to visit our website for ease in finding what you want to know.

Grab a Slice of Summer at the Louisiana Watermelon Festival. From seed spitting to melon eating, the largest melon contest, melon decorating, and the melon auction, watermelons will take over the small town of Farmerville for three fun-filled days. Thousands are expected to convene on the streets of Farmerville as the Watermelon Festival celebrates summer with great live music, classic backyard food as well as other favorites, and a colorful mix of good time games, craft booths and activities for adults and children alike. The 46th Annual Louisiana Watermelon Festival will be held from July 23rd – July 25th, 2009 and admission to the Festival is FREE for all.

The Annual Louisiana Watermelon Festival takes place in Farmerville, Louisiana, and was founded by the Farmerville Jaycees. The very first Louisiana Watermelon Festival was held during the weekend of July 26-27, back in 1963. In fact, the Festival has been such a success, that it has been named one of the Top Twenty Events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society.

The Festival begins each year with the first half of the Miss Watermelon Pageant, which is one of the longest continual running pageants in the state. The Thursday night pageant categories include the Baby Miss, Tiny Miss, Little Miss and Junior Miss contestants. This is followed by a Friday night street dance, featuring a live band, great food and a variety of great booths to shop at. Be sure to also stop by the Jaycee tent to purchase your official Louisiana Watermelon Festival T-Shirts and Posters. You can also visit the Festival Shirt and Festival Poster pages for more information, and to see this year's designs, as well as past designs. Saturday activities begin early in the morning, from the parade, to watermelon eating, seed spitting and auctioning, arm wrestling, and we even have a motorcycle poker run! The Festival is concluded each year with the crowning of the new Miss Louisiana Watermelon Festival on Saturday night. If you are looking for specific information about the Festival, be sure to visit our Site Map for ease in finding what you want to know.

***Looking for great Watermelon Recipes? Check out Watermelon Rind - A Collection of Watermelon Recipes! ***

Take a look at the many events for you to enjoy at the Louisiana Watermelon Festival!

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      Watermelon Hunt
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      Best Decorated Window Contest
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      Baby Photo Contest
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      Pet Photo Contest
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      Treasure Hunt
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      Union Parish Voters League Banquet
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      Baby, Tiny, Little and Junior Miss Pageant
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      Tennis Tournament
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      2009 Festival Opening Ceremony
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      Friday Arts, Crafts, Food Vendors, Games and Amusements
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      Best Dressed Watermelon
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      Tricycle and Bicycle Races
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      Arm Wrestling
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      Watermelon Eating
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      Watermelon Seed Spitting
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      Introduction of Miss Louisiana Watermelon Contestants and Queens
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      Street Dance
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      Watermelon Growers' Breakfast
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      Golf Tournament
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      5K Run
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      Saturday Arts, Crafts, Food Vendors, Games and Amusements
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      Watermelon Quality Contest
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      Watermelon Size Contest
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      Louisiana Melon Run (Motorcycle Poker Run)
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      Textile Exhibit
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      Parade
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      Watermelon Auction
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      Introduction of Miss Louisiana Watermelon Contestants, Reigning Queens and Visiting Queens
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      Watermelon Storytime and Craft
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      Outstanding Teen, Teen Princess and Miss Watermelon Pageant

The countdown to the fifth annual Park City Food & Wine Classic is on. This year's PC Food & Wine Classic takes place from July 9-12. It's an extravaganza of food and drink that will feature world-class chefs, food and wine seminars, gourmet dinners, wine tastings and pairings, and more the 500 different wines. The Park City Food & Wine Classic is also an opportunity to meet with winery owners and winemakers from around the world, all within the gorgeous summertime setting that is Park City.

17th Annual International Mango Festival, Miami, Sunday, July 12 9:30a to 4:30p at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.

Come to Fairchild's 17th Annual International Mango Festival to buy your hand selected mango trees and fruit, enjoy mango lectures and smoothies, view the world's largest display of mangos, take part in the world's only mango auction and buy mango merchandise and botanical art. There will also be mango culinary demonstrations, a fantastic International Fruit Market, fun activities for kids and much, much more. It's all about mangos at Fairchild's International Mango Festival.
For a schedule of activities, .

Kid's Activities: Your children will enjoy and learn. They will make mango leaf puppets, mango art projects, getting their faces painted, creating their own original mango art, and more, but will also enrich their lives by learning about a very important part of South Florida culture, the mango. They will discover where different mangos come from, and the fascinating stories behind them.

Curator's Choice Mangos: The Curator's Choice Mangos selected by Dr. Richard J. Campbell, and Noris Ledesma Fairchild's Curators of Tropical Fruit, are mango trees well-suited to South Florida conditions. The trees will remain small in stature, yet produce top quality, full size fruit. Trees are approximately three feet and are in three gallon plastic container.

World's Only Mango Auction: On Sunday, enjoy the excitement of the only mango auction in the world while bidding on your favorite mangos. Join Dr. Richard Campbell, the Fairchild Tropical Fruit Program staff and auctioneer Jimmy Howell for a journey through the world of mangos.

Admission: Free for Fairchild members and children 5 and under, $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, $10 for children 6-17.
Mango Brunch: Tickets: Members $75; Non-Members $100. Reservations are required.

The Gateway City Barbeque Festival will take place July 3-4, 2009 at the Old Rock House in downtown St. Louis.  We are now accepting entries and are limited to 20 spaces, so first come first serve. Be sure to sign up before the June 25, 2009.

The Gateway City Barbeque festival will be two days of cooking, competing, eating and dancing. While the camaraderie is fun and festive, the judging is all business as teams vie for the coveted title of Gateway City Barbeque Grand Champion. Trophies are awarded to teams preparing the best dish in each category as well as the grand champion. Awards are also presented to the team who captures the crowd‚s taste buds in our Peoples Choice competition

As the sweet smell of smoke drifts over the downtown St. Louis area twenty teams will have the opportunity to compete for over $2500 in cash and prizes plus supreme bragging rights as the first winners of this coveted competition. The open contest is for everyone, from the beginner to the seasoned barbeque competitor.  The Gateway City Barbeque Festival encourages each team to adorn their area with decoration, trophies, and of course a creative team name.

Hurry sign up today as space is limited

The Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board (LSPMB) and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association) present the Fifth Annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off Aug July 18-19 at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center within the Louisiana Foodservice EXPO and the Gulf Coast Seafood Pavilion. The annual two-day contest provides chefs a tense, one-hour slot in which to prepare their best seafood dish for a panel of persnickety industry judges. A show about the contest will be aired on the Food Network later this year.

One of America’s most prestigious culinary competitions, one chef and one state will walk away with the title of King of American Seafood.  Governor Jindal issued the challenge for states to send us their best chef and most delicious domestic sustainable seafood. Just by making it to the big show, fourteen chefs have already proven their merit.  

A Canvas of Culinary Inspired Art and Incredible Edibles: The "Art of Food" Event At The Mad Art Gallery To Benefit Slow Food St. Louis and Fair Shares.

WHO:
Slow Food USA, St. Louis chapter, a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating and supporting food traditions, holds its fundraiser, "Art of Food" on July 25, 2009 at the Mad Art Gallery in Soulard from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Fair Shares Combined Community Supported Agriculture

WHAT:
The "Art of Food" event will showcase the area's top restaurants serving delectable hors d' oeuvres using only the freshest, local ingredients prepared by the hottest chefs in the slow food tradition. Food-themed art by local artists, gift baskets filled with a variety of specialty goodies from boutiques, wineries and restaurants are up for auction from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

WHEN:
Saturday, July 25, 2009
6 to 10 p.m.

WHERE:
Mad Art Gallery
2727 S. 12th St.
St. Louis, MO
63118

COST:
In Advance:
$30 for members
$40 for non-members
Brown Paper Tickets

At the Door:
$40 for members
$50 for non-members

• Cash bar

PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS AND CHEFS:
Araka - Mark Curran
Bailey's Chocolate Bar / Rooster
Erato on Main - Kevin Willmann 4. Local Harvest Cafe
Mad Art Gallery - Dave Lewis
Monarch - Josh Galliano
Niche - Gerard Craft
Sidney Street Cafe - Kevin Nashan
Kakao Chocolate
...and more to come .

FEATURED ARTISTS:
TBD

EVENT SPONSORS:
Slow Food St. Louis, Fair Shares CCSA, Sauce Magazine, 
Mad Art Gallery, Schlafly Beer

ABOUT SLOW FOOD USA
Slow Food USA is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to supporting and celebrating the food traditions of North America. From the spice of Cajun cooking to the purity of the organic movement; from animal breeds and heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables to handcrafted wine and beer, farmhouse cheeses and other artisanal products; these foods are a part of our cultural identity. They reflect generations of commitment to the land and devotion to the processes that yield the greatest achievements in taste. These foods, and the communities that produce and depend on them, are constantly at risk of succumbing to the effects of the fast life, which manifests itself through the industrialization and standardization of our food supply and degradation of our farmland. By reviving the pleasures of the table, and using our tastebuds as our guides, Slow Food U.S.A. believes that our food heritage can be saved. All food, art and silent auction revenues benefit Slow Food U.S.A., St. Louis chapter.

With the July 4 festivities advancing like a line of British musketeers, the Music City Hot Chicken Festival is calling for fearless contestants to enter the third annual amateur chicken cook-off.

To apply for one of six bird-cooking bids, send an e-mail to contest@hotchickenfestival.com with the following information:

    * Contestant/Team Name
    * Primary Contact
    * Address
    * Phone Number
    * Email
    * Two paragraphs explaining why you should win the chance to compete

Deadline for entries is Friday, June 12. Selected contestants will check-in with their spices and equipment at East Park no later than 11:00 a.m. on July 4; cooking begins at high noon. The event goes until 3 p.m., with free samples from 400°, Bolton's Spicy Chicken and Fish and Prince's Hot Chicken Shack, as well as entertainment and family-friendly activities.

An event for the whole family! We are asking several incredible local bakers to make us something delicious to sell at our first ever Slow Bake Sale, benefiting our local chapter. One of the only events of the year where 100% of proceeds go to benefit SF Nashville, we hope it will be a good fundraiser for us and a chance to sample some of our city's sweetest treats. We will have a table set up at the Nashville Farmers Market  (900 8th Ave. N.) from 8-1pm on Saturday, July 11...and we'll stay until the the goods are gone!  Keep checking in at our website to see who will be participating!

The 3rd Annual Sacramento Wine & Dine!

Don't miss this exciting opportunity to enjoy a three to four-course dinner at the Sacramento region's best restaurants for a fraction of the regular price. Even better, each meal comes with tastes from the region's award-winning wines!

From the Gothamist.com: Here we go again with another Restaurant Week, which actually occurs over two weeks (minus weekends): July 21st through the 25th and July 28th through August 1st. Over 200 restaurants around Manhattan – many of them fancy places like Bar Boulud and Anthos – will be offering prix-fixe lunch specials for $24.07 and prix-fixe dinners for $35.00.

Food snobs will tell you you’re a chump for signing up for this because chefs just dump their cheap ingredients on supposedly less-refined palates, and sometimes the prix-fixe isn't even much cheaper than their usual price (21 Club’s standard prix-fixe is only $5 more). Also, once the staff finds out you’re there for Restaurant Week you might as well be invisible, for they sometimes wrongly assume you’re a cheap bastard.

But we can personally vouch for very positive Restaurant Week experiences at Crema and Indochine during the last Restaurant Week (though the hotties who work at the latter can make it hard to focus on things, like chewing and swallowing.) The only thing to do is to pick a well-reviewed restaurant that’s way more expensive than you’d usually pay for and throw caution to the wind. Worst case scenario is you pay what you expected – plus the drinks and whatever loose change you can scrounge up for a tip. Reservations will be taken starting tomorrow; details here.