FROM THE PRATTVILLE YMCA
After a year off due to Covid-19, the Eighth Annual Great Grits Cook-Off and Festival is returning to Prattville Saturday, October 16 from 9 am – 12 pm to benefit the Prattville YMCA Coach a Child Scholarship Fund. The day will include live music, bounce houses, arts and crafts vendors and a whole lot of grits. For the sixth year, the day will begin with the Nitty Gritty 5K Race.
The Great Grits Cook-Off and Festival is sponsored by Gipson’s Tires Pros, a tire and automotive service business, with three locations in Prattville, Millbrook and Montgomery. Gipson’s Tires Pros, a Tire Pros Dealer, has been in business for over thirty years, and places great importance on supporting the community from which it has gained its long-term reputation for excellence in customer service in the tire and automotive service. Gipson’s Tires has supported many other charitable organizations in addition to the Prattville YMCA.
The Great Grits Cook-Off and Festival will include a cooking competition of businesses, churches, restaurants and individuals for the best grits recipe. The cooking competition will be judged on taste, presentation and originality. In addition, a “People’s Choice Award” will be presented to the team that receives the most votes (dollar bills) by those attending. Prizes will be awarded in each category.
The cookoff & festival will also include the 6th Nitty Gritty 5K. The race will be sponsored by Promise Physical Therapy for the third year. The race will begin at 8:00 AM and feature awards for all ages. The completion of the race will coincide with the opening of the grits festival.
The first Great Grits Cook-Off and Festival was held on September 21, 2013, and drew an enthusiastic crowd despite inclement weather that pushed the event indoors. For several years we have had great weather but the last two year we have had rain. The rain did not dampen the excitement and confirmed what was already known – people love the cookoff.
“Our last cookoff in 2019 was amazing,” said Keith Cantrell, Assistant General Director of the Prattville YMCA. “With all the rain it is hard to believe so many people attended. When we look back to 2013, it is hard to believe how far we have come in such a short period of time. We have no reason to believe this year’s crowd will not be even bigger'”
All of the funds raised at the Great Grits Cook-Off and Festival will go to benefit the Coach a Child Scholarship Fund, which is a cornerstone of the YMCA in their commitment to never turn a child away due to their inability to pay. That commitment held true even in the tough economic conditions of our country. In 2020, the Prattville YMCA has given close to $190,000 in scholarships to families and children benefiting over 2500 different individuals. The Coach a Child Scholarship Fund allows the YMCA to bless the lives of so many who could not otherwise afford the privilege of participating in Y programs.
The Prattville YMCA is a huge part of the Prattville community and according to Cantrell, Gipson’s Tire Pros understand the value of giving back to the YMCA. “Gipson’s has always understood the role the YMCA plays in developing young people, especially those who come from a disadvantaged background. The Grits Cookoff is a fun way to do just that,” Cantrell said. “What started as what some would call a strange idea has become an expectation in the community. I am always having people ask when is the grits cookoff.”
Cook teams and vendors are currently being accepted. If you would like to participate in this great event, contact Keith Cantrell at 334-358-9622.
