Steak Cook Off Highlights Busy Saturday in Ave Maria
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- Published on Wednesday, 26 January 2011 20:05
A full day of activities will be taking place Saturday throughout Ave Maria.
The main action will be in the town center, where the Family Fun Fest benefit for the Donahue Academy begins at 10:30, concluding in the early evening with the first Sunshine State Steak Cook Off. There also will be a little league baseball tournament with teams from the Naples area competing at North Park, and Del Webb will have a "grand opening" of its new model center from noon to 3 p.m.
The Family Fun Fest, now in its third year, will offer games, rides,music, food, a silent auction and other activities beginning at 10:30 a.m. Purchase of a wristband give kids unlimited access to most things to do, although although there will be a few extra-charge activities such as pony rides and paintball target shooting.
The Fun Fest winds up at 5 p.m., when steaks cooked for the first Sunshine State Steak Cook-Off will begin coming off the grills. A total of seven teams -- including several from the Ave Maria community as well as those from area businesses -- will be competing for the honor of cooking the competition's best steak.
Tickets for the steak cook off are $15 and include a 16-ounce rib-eye steak, salad, potato and roll. Only a limited number of tickets will be available on the day of the event, so organizers advise buying tickets in advance either in person at the Donahue Academy, AMU Bookstore or Ave Maria Inspirations/Qwik Pack and Ship, or by phone by calling the Donahue Academy at 239-280-2450.
Broadcaster, restaurateur and former Miami Dolphins linebacker Kim Bokamper will be one of the judges at the steak cook-off, joining Chris Abdo, head of culinary arts at the Immokalee Tech Center, Fox 4 morning anchor Lisa Spooner, Pastor Fr. Robert Tatman of the Ave Maria oratory parish and Kelly Guarascio of Ave Maria Development.
Del Webb is holding a "grand opening" of its new model center from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, with refreshments, "giveaways," and entertainment. The event will officially open Del Webb's 8,000-square-foot sales center and tours will be available of the eight new model homes offered in the "active adult" community.
Family activities also continue Sunday morning, with the Ave Maria Knights of Columbus offering a pancake breakfast after the 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Masses. Tickets for the breakfast are $5 ages 13 and over, and $3 for ages 3-12 with a maximum of $25 per family. Proceeds benefit the Donahue Academy.