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Several teams competed in a barbecue cook-off at the 2017 Shelby County Shindig. (Photos for the Reporter/ Kevin McKee)

By Erika Bibbs

Special to the Reporter

COLUMBIANA – The city of Columbiana came out in support of the fourth annual Shelby County Shindig on Saturday, July 15 from 1 to 7 p.m. The event is fundraised by The Shelby County Arts Council and the South Shelby Chamber of Commerce.

“The intent is to bring people to mainstream Columbiana for blues, Bar-B-Q, and family friendly fun,” South Shelby Chamber Executive Director April Stone said.

Most of the proceeds donated will fund the Shelby County Arts Council’s new building, which is slated to open within 18 months.

Sandra Annonio, an office manager for the Shelby County Arts Council, is excited about the upcoming projects for the council’s new building. “Our new building is a joint effort between the Shelby County Arts Council, the city of Columbiana, and Shelby County as a whole. We are anticipating the building to be open for 18 months and some preliminary construction will be taking place out of the ground soon.”

Candy Lundy has attended the Shelby County Shindig since the beginning and is very active in the community. She teaches a beginner pottery class at the Shelby County Arts Council.

“It keeps just getting bigger and bigger! I enjoy the barbecue, live entertainment, and seeing all the people I know at the Shindig. It’s a small town where everybody knows everybody and (SCAC Executive Director) Bruce Andrews does a great job putting the shindig together,” Lundy said.

Live entertainment was provided by DieDra the Alabama Blues Queen and The Ruff Pro Band. They performed their own music plus some blues classics such as “You Ain’t Nothing but a Hound Dog,” originally sung by Big Mama Thornton.

This year’s sponsors were as follows: Deloach, Barber and Caspers, PC, America’s First Credit Union, Magic City Blues Society, APH Radio, Bob Sykes BBQ, Cathead Vodka, Henderson Williams LLC, Mundy Motors, Regions Bank, Columbiana Tractor, Bernie’s on Main, Bryant Bank, City of Columbiana, Joy’s Dance Company, Piggly Wiggly, Smith Douglas Homes, S.S. Nesbit, Columbiana Optical, Davis Drug, Edward Jones, Tin Top II, Lewis Lakes Vineyard, Owen Arts, Zen Properties, and Rux Carter Insurance.

There were also a few vendors who participated in the shindig such as Walter Sturdivant and Jeff Adams. Walter owns Walt’s Gourmet Popcorn, which specializes in 12 different flavors.

“We have about 12 gourmet flavors that you can’t just get originally out of a store. We have yellow frosting, blue raspberry, green apple, grape, rainbow, cherry, and bubblegum.” What’s unique about Walt’s Gourmet Popcorn is that it‘s cooked with no butter and salt. It does contain coconut and canola oil. The business has been in the community since last April.

Jeff Adams is a partner with Columbiana Tractors. The new tractor business has been in the community for 2 months and specializes in tractor services. “We are the new tractor dealership in town. We do parts, sales, and service for all tractors. We’re the LS dealer for central Alabama,” said Adams. “We’re out here to just let everyone see our products and to support the city of Columbiana.”

A barbecue cook-off contest was scheduled at 4pm. The winners were placed in categories. In the Best Overall category, the winner was the Shelby County Reporter. The Shelby County Reporter also won the Best Ribs category. The runner up was Big Dogs Bone House (Maxus Construction). The winner for the Best Sauce category went to Kiwanis Club of America. Maxus Construction placed as runner up as the team Notorious P.I.G. For the category of Best Chef’s Choice, SS Nesbitt (House of Que); runner up, Industrial Staffing. The city of Columbiana won the People’s Choice category and the the Shelby County Reporter placed runner up.

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