FOLEY, Ala. — It seems the luck of the Irish was shining on downtown Foley Saturday as a number of South Baldwin County residents chose to spend St. Patrick’s Day at the 2012 BBQ and Blues Cook-Off at Heritage Park.

“The weather’s perfect,” said Festival Co-Chairman Gene Moore during Saturday’s event.

According to a news release provided by the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, the fourth annual event is a fundraiser for its foundation.

“The South Baldwin Chamber Foundation  is a non-profit organization that works with all public, private and parochial schools, as well as various community organizations in the south Baldwin County area to provide educational-enrichment programs for all students and to help develop future leaders,” the release states.

Last year’s one-day event drew approximately 3,500 attendees and raised approximately $27,000 for the SBCF Teacher/Student Grant Program. Moore estimated an increase in those numbers on Saturday.

“According to the barbecue teams, we’ve had more people attending than last year,” he said at the fesival.

That’s because once attendees entered the festival, they had the opportunity to sample the food of 15 teams entered in the cook-off.

“The barbecue’s great,” said Gary Chasteen of the Gold Wing Riders Association Pensacola, Fla. Chapter.

His wife, Laura, a fellow association member, agreed, adding that paying $10 to enter the event was cost-effective.

“I like that you can taste without paying anything (extra),” she said.

According to Moore, plans for Saturday’s festival began last November. But his favorite duties were Saturday, by “making sure everybody’s having a good time.”

That wasn’t lost on Mark Skipper of the Mobile Big Dogs barbecue team.

“Our hospitality’s been really good,” he said.

While attendees enjoyed sampling everything from pulled pork to chicken wings, the food was only half the appeal of Saturday’s festival. At the stage portion of the event, various bands performed blues selections that provided an easy-going soundtrack to the day. According to Foley Middle School students Lizzie Moore, the music was enticing her and classmates Kendall Clark and Brianna Nelson “to go dance out there (near the stage).”

Also Saturday, games and inflatables were available for children. Additional attractions included an antique and tractor car show, and demonstrations of antique appliances and blacksmithing.