The increasingly popular Sunshine State Steak Cookoff will b
e held in the Ave Maria town center Saturday\, Jan. 24. The event begins a
t 10:30 a.m. with a fun run and family festival. There will be music in th
e afternoon and steaks will be served in the late afternoon. There is no c
harge for admission to the events\, but the steak dinner costs $20 in adva
nce or $25 the day of the event and includes a 16-ounce ribeye steak\, cor
n\, salad and a drink. Buy your tickets by clicking here.
Organizers a
re expecting that 2\,000 steaks will be grilled at the event\, which is th
e biggest such steak cookoff east of the Mississippi River.
Grill
teams can apply to participate\, and have a shot at $2\,000 in prize money
\, by emailing thomas.smith@avemaria.edu. if you have a business and want
to exhibit at the event\, you can download a vendor a
pplication here.
Later in the evening\, there is a large f
ireworks show\, 'Carnival in the
Sky\,' at the Seminole Casino Immokalee\, about five miles north of
Ave Maria\, which is open to the public at no charge. Fireworks are at 9 p
.m.\, following a concert at 8 p.m. by the Golden Gate High School and Gol
den Gate Middle School jazz bands.