South Belt Spectacular BBQ

02/18/2025

R.i.p. Joe, 🙏❤️ Lazy B Cookers

11/12/2024

Please keep Marie's family in your prayers. We lost a great lady and wonderful and amazing friend today. 🙏❤️🙏

02/12/2023

To all the teams and participants of the SouthBelt Spectacular CookOff
The word about the cancellation got out before an adequate explanation of the reasons behind it could be posted. The decision by the Executive Committee was not taken lightly and was done in light of the current difficulties of putting it together at the last minute, the incredible increase in cost of almost every aspect, the very real possibility of a rain out that would keep paying visitors from attending, and some new park rules that adds additional new expenses to the cookoff. All of these increases would have made the entry fee to the teams considerably more than the last few events and significantly raised the entrance fee for our visitors as well. Dean, Marie, Linda and David have worked incredibly hard trying to make this work for this year We have to contract in advance with many of our vendors and guaranty payment, regardless of how many teams actually join us. And one or more of our vendors has gone out of business during covid and we are trying find reasonable replacements. We were able to secure these vendors but at a significantly higher price, some as much as 60% more than in previous years. And there is the additional cost to each team for their personal purchases such as supplies, food, beverages, etc. As you can imagine, our bank account is very low and trying to put this together without the time to get competitive prices on the infrastructure and with the very real possibility of having much fewer teams actually sign up, we could have gone in the hole for many thousands of dollars with no way to raise those funds. Additionally, we are facing a volunteer manpower shortage currently that we are trying to address as we speak. If we had adequate time to source competitive prices, get favorable terms, and have a better idea of the number of teams that are willing to participate, we would have rolled the dice and made it happen. If we had failed to get the number of teams and visitors, that would have been the end forever for this event. And we do not want that to happen. Our plan for the 2024 Southbelt Spectacular is to bring it back in a more reasonable price range while showing our appreciation to our cookoff teams and guests. I hope everybody understands our dilemma and makes plans to join us again. We plan to hold a cook off team meeting in the near future to discuss the future and hope everybody can join us. We value the input from each team as to how to make it better for everybody. Email notifications will be sent out and also published in the Southbelt Leader.
Thank you for your understanding.

01/25/2023

Prayers for all those affected by the tornados that hit the area and around us today.🙏❤️🙏

01/20/2023

After a three-year hiatus related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the annual South Belt Spectacular Cook-off is shaping up to resume at El Franco Lee Park in 2023. Hosted by the Southeast Volunteer Fire Department, the event is the sole fundraiser for the annual South Belt Fourth of July fireworks display, also held at the area park. Leader publisher and co-event organizer Marie Flickinger (center) is shown above ironing out details with county commissioners Rodney Ellis (left) and Adrian Garcia.

12/25/2022

09/01/2022

Want to wish Marie a HAPPY 80th Birthday ❤️❤️❤️

05/19/2022

https://fb.watch/d5_jWABU1p/

04/01/2022

Little humor for today