PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (February 2012) – With names such as Grumpy’s Grub and Skillet and Spurs, six teams of competitive cowboy cooks will showcase their campfire skills on Feb. 25 during Saddle Up, an annual salute to the Old West in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
Saddle Up, Feb. 23-26, is a four-day celebration that also features a series of Western music and cowboy poetry concerts, a Saturday night dance and Sunday Cowboy Church.
The others competing with Grumpy’s Grub and Skillet and Spurs are Ramblin’ Rose, Fairplay Cattle Company, Double X Ranch and Greenhorn Cattle Company.
The day’s fun begins at 9 a.m. when the free-admission Buckaroo Roundup starts. The Buckaroo Roundup includes a mechanical bull, lasso lessons and branding demonstrations, plus cowboy songs and storytelling.
The Pigeon Forge Hospitality Association sponsors the entire event at Clabough’s Campground on Wears Valley Road.
Each chuckwagon team will prepare chicken-fried steaks, potatoes, beans, bread, cornbread and fruit cobblers. They are judged on individual food categories and on the authenticity of wagons and camp set-ups. Lunch will be available for $10 and served from individual wagons. Tickets are available online at MyPigeonForge.com/saddleup and also will be sold onsite the day of the cookoff.
The 12th Annual Saddle Up begins Thursday, Feb. 23. Entertainers include R.W. Hampton, Stephanie Davis & the Roadrunners, Cowboy Celtic, Saddle Cats, Andy Nelson, Chuck Pyle, Ray Doyle and Kent Rollins.
Saddle Up ticket information and a schedule of activities are at MyPigeonForge.com/saddleup. Information about all aspects of visiting Pigeon Forge is at MyPigeonForge.com or 1-800-251-9100.