Baldwin County is a hotbed for festivals and events due to the area's high tourist numbers and ever-growing population. Now there is a new event coming to town.

Beach Life Events, owned and operated by Mike and Lisa Yeater, is launching a new festival to add to their lineup of annual events. First, they introdu ed the Chocolate & Cheese Festival and then Mudbugs & Margaritas. Their newest event, Gumbo & Alabama Slammer Festival, will take over Heritage Park in Foley on Jan. 28.

"We brainstorm to think about what would be great for the community, draw people and what are people interested in," said Lisa Yeater. "Our first event was the Chocolate & Cheese Festival because who doesn't love one of those? Then we did mudbugs and margaritas because, in this area, crawfish are a big deal. The other thing we thought of was gumbo. We always try to pair it with something. We racked our brains and Google and came up with the Alabama Slammer."

Attendees will have a variety of food trucks that will sell their regular menu, but each must also include a gumbo dish. The event will also include a gumbo cook-off. If you love gumbo and would like to be a judge, visit beachlifeevents.com and purchase a judge ticket.

"We will have 100 judges and they will need to purchase a ticket from our website to be a judge. If you paid you are more likely to judge," Yeater said. "Each contestant will have a different color spoon and when the judges are done sampling, they will put their top choice's spoon in the box. The most spoons win."

Yeater said the event is an all-day affair so bring a chair and stay awhile. The children will have plenty to do in the kids' zone with inflatable laser tag, petting zoo and pony rides. For the adults, there are alcoholic drinks, arts and crafts vendors, food and live music.

And don't miss a chance to win $50 in Event Bucks

"We will have four contests throughout the day. The winner of each will win $50 in Event Bucks," Yeater said.

Schedule of events:
10 a.m. – Festival begins

10:30 a.m. – Fleetwood Max – The Definitive Fleetwood Mac Tribute
Noon – Catch the Gumbo contest
12:15 p.m. – Gumbo Bingo contest
12:30 – Gumbo Cookoff
1 p.m. – Sons of Bocephus: A Tribute to Hank Jr.
3 p.m. – Gumbo Cookoff winner announced and Don't Spill the Roux contest
3:15 p.m. Catch the Gumbo contest
4 p.m. - Randy McNeeley
6 p.m. – Festival ends

Hot tip: If you want to skip the line at the gate, purchase your event tickets online at beachlifeevents.com. Tickets are $5 for adults and children 12 and under are free. The event is cash only and ATMs will be available. For more information, visit beachlifeevents.com.