Red River Scrapbook
Pine Bluff Festival to feature .38 Special, evening of blues and state barbecue cook-off
By Jim Taylor, travel writer -- Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
Aug 1, 2004

PINE BLUFF – Performances by the Southern rock group .38 Special and Memphis bluesman Blind Mississippi Morris and the Arkansas State Championship Barbecue Cook-off will be among the activities at the fourth annual Smoke on the Water festival at Pine Bluff on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 17-18. 

Still performing over 100 concerts annually after some 25 years of touring, .38 Special is best known for such hits as “Caught Up in You,” “Hold On Loosely,” “Wild-Eyed Southern Boys,” and “Like No Other Night.” Since 1975, the band has produced more than 15 albums, including their recent release, “Drivetrain.” 

Born in the Delta region of Mississippi, Morris began playing the harmonica at age four. After years of playing in Memphis for tips, he began a recording career in the mid-1990s. His raw vocal and harmonica styles have earned rave reviews from Delta blues fans and critics. 

The festival site will be the Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Regional Park, located across U.S. 65-B from downtown Pine Bluff and immediately east of Lake Pine Bluff. Daily admission, which will include all musical performances, will be $5 for adults and free for children 12 and under. Festival grounds will open at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 17 and at noon on Sept. 18. 

All music will be staged in the Lake View Amphitheater located on the shore of Lake Langhofer, formerly the main channel of the Arkansas River. The year-old facility has 200 permanent, stadium seats; 500 temporary seats; and lawn seating that can accommodate an additional 3,500 persons. No coolers will be allowed; attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. 

The festival’s line-up of blues performers on Sept. 17 is Jed Clampit of Monticello at 6:30 p.m., Oreo Blue of Fayetteville at 8, and Morris at 9:30. Performing on Sept. 18 will be Euphoric Recall, a Pine Bluff rock band, at 2 p.m.; Matthew David Webb, a Southern rock group from Pine Bluff, at 3:30; Big John Miller, a rock performer from Little Rock, at 5; the Famous Unknowns, a Little Rock blues band, at 6:30; Governor Mike Huckabee and Capitol Offense, a rock band from Little Rock, at 8; and .38 Special at 9:30. 

The championship barbecue cook-off will offer a guaranteed $10,000 in prize money, according to festival organizer Ron Cates, and is expected to draw more than 70 professional cooking teams from around the U.S.  The event is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society and the winner will qualify for the Jack Daniel's World Championship Barbecue Cook-off held annually in Lynchburg, Tennessee. The registration deadline is Sept. 1 and on-line registration is available via the festival Web site at www.smokeonthewaterbbq.com.

A separate division for amateur cooks, the BBQer’s Delight World’s Championship Backyard Cook-Off, will award cash and other prizes worth $2,000. There will also be a "Kid's Q" chicken cook-off with two age divisions for those 15 and younger. The registration deadline for those events is Sept. 3 and on-line registration is available. The awards ceremony for the cooking contests will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 18.

On the evening of Sept. 17, festival goers will be able to purchase a $3 ticket, sample chicken wings prepared by contest cooking teams and vote for their favorite in a “people’s choice” contest.

Other festival activities will include a carnival midway with a roller coaster and more than 25 rides and amusement games; an arts and crafts fair; a petting zoo, arcade games, pony rides and other activities for children; a classic car and hot rod show; a simulated NASCAR driving experience; a rock-climbing wall; an outdoor expo; a stage with local entertainment acts; and a Sept. 18 motorcycle show.

For more festival information, visit www.smokeonthewaterbbq.com or contact Ron Cates by phone at (870) 536-8175 or by e-mail at ronnie@catesandcompany.com. Information on Pine Bluff’s lodging, restaurants and other attractions is available by visiting www.pinebluffonline.com or by phoning 1-800-536-7660