Bernard Blues and BBQ Festival

The newest big event in Cullman’s busy local calendar is back Saturday for its second-ever outing, as the St. Bernard Abbey and Prep School opens the gates on this year’s Bernard Blues and BBQ Festival.

Starting Saturday at 9 a.m., the two-day fest brings in arts and crafts vendors, food (and not just barbecue), and music from the picturesque steps of the prep school’s administration building. It’s St. Bernard’s late-summer answer to the other festival on its annual calendar, the Bloomin’ Festival — but, distinct from its older, bigger brother, Blues and BBQ has an identity all its own.

“It’s all about enjoying the food and the music, and we’re growing it little by little,” said St. Bernard’s Joyce Nix Friday, surveying the gathering group of vendors staking out their tents and setting out their hand-made wares.

“Freddie Day is catering all our barbecue along with Johnsonville, who’s brought in their massive, massive grill to cook the brats. That thing is so big it has its own observation deck, where you can get up there and have your picture taken. Johnsonville also has helped out with 400 Alabama and Auburn T-shirts each, and they’re handing out a free T-shirt for every brat they sell. We’re gonna make it a fun game to see which fan base gets to all 400 the fastest.

“Freddie will be handling pretty much everything else with barbecue — the pulled pulled pork, ribs, chicken, and hamburgers — and then we’ll also have all the fun stuff that goes with it: funnel cakes, spiral potatoes. We’re gonna have some tastings going on with help from Frank’s Hot Sauce throughout the weekend, and we’ve even got out own Monk’s Bread for sale again. We’ve pretty much got it all.”

Admission at the Ave Maria Grotto will be reduced to $3 all weekend, and Nix said the Grotto area also will be available as a scenic, less-crowded seating area if guests prefer it to the more-congested area around the main food tent.

Gates open at 9 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, and close at 5 p.m. each evening. Sunday’s activities will be capped by a 5 p.m. giveaway of $10,000, which guests can contend for by buying a $5 donation separate from their $5 adult admission.

For more information, as well as to check out the full lineup of music on tap both days, visit the event online at stbernardprep.com/bernard-blues-bbq.