Holy Smoke Festival

East Cobb Labor Day news: Holy Smoke on hiatus; Noshfest rolls on

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Holy Smoke Festival

If you’ve been attending the Holy Smoke BBQ Festival at Johnson Ferry Church on Labor Day in recent years, you’ll need to make some other plans.

In updating our calendar listings, we saw that the church’s men’s ministry has sidelined the event for 2019, which would have been two weeks from today, Sept. 2. From Sunday’s church bulletin:

“It has been a wonderful community event, but Men’s Ministry felt it was important to let it rest this year. Enjoy Labor Day with your neighbors and friends!”

Holy Smoke featured a full, day-long platter of food and activities—catered BBQ from Williamson Bros., music, games, a kids’ zone and a vintage car show.

It’s been a busy time at Johnson Ferry in recent weeks and months, as founding pastor Rev. Bryant Wright prepares to retire, and his successor, Rev. Clay Smith, takes over on Sept. 8.

There’s two full days of food, music and similar fun and games continuing in another East Cobb Labor Day tradition, now in its 9th year: The Noshfest at Temple Kol Emeth.

It’s Sunday, Sept. 1 from 11-5 and Labor Day, Monday Sept. 2, from 11-4 in the parking lot (1415 Old Canton Road). Admission is free, but you’re asked to bring two canned goods per family as a donation to MUST Ministries.

In addition to kosher food selections and cooking demonstrations, there will be interactive exhibits, arts and crafts vendors, a kids’ zone, face-painting, live music and dancing and a bagel-eating contest.

Parking is available across the street at Eastminster Presbyterian Church.

For more information visit www.noshfest.com.

 

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East Cobb Labor Day weekend events: Noshfest, Holy Smoke Festival return

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Noshfest, East Cobb Labor Day weekend events
It wouldn’t be Noshfest without “Hava Nagila.” The Jewish food and culture festival returns at Temple Kol Emeth Sunday and Monday. (East Cobb News file photos)

Just a few days remain until two signature East Cobb Labor Day weekend events make their festive returns.

Here’s the latest info we have on the Noshfest, which takes place from 11-5 Sunday and 11-4 Monday at at Temple Kol Emeth (1415 Old Canton Road):

Admission is free, but each attendee is asked to bring two canned food items to be donated to MUST Ministries.

Once inside, you’ll purchase food and drink tickets as you please, and either with cash or by credit card. Craft items for sale can be bought with cash, credit card or debit card, depending on vendor availabilty.

Noshfest

The Highlights: Entertainment from the blues-and-folk Alex Guthrie Band (he’s a local musician and recording artist) returns to the Noshfest stage at 3 p.m. Sunday. Before that, starting at noon, is a cooking demonstration from Chef Wilson Gourley of the famed General Muir deli in Dectatur, and the festival’s 3rd annual bagel-eating contest (sponsored by Bagelicious in East Cobb) is at 2 p.m.

The winning contestant will win a cash prize of $500 for eating the most bagels in five-minutes.

On Monday, live music will abound, including the Dixie Saints, who will perform Dixieland and klezmer specialties at 2 p.m.

Temple tours of the synagogue will take place Sunday at 1, 2:30 and 4 and on Monday at 12, 1:30 and 3.

Holy Smoke Festival

Admission is also free on Monday to the Holy Smoke Festival, held from 10-3 at the ball fields and south parking lot at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (955 Johnson Ferry Road).

Food tickets for the Williamson BBQ-catered meals are $6.50 (and if they run out, other food vendors will be on hand), and the events include live music, Christian illusionist Shane Wilbanks (above), kids’s inflatables, a silent auction and a classic car show.

Holy Smoke Festival

The Highlights: Local musician Jay Memory will perform in the Big Tent between 11-2 (that’s where and for how long the food will be served). Wilbanks’ shows are at 11:15, 12:45 and 1:45.

At 12:15, the Fort Benning Silver Wings aerial show takes place.

At 2, the silent auction closes, with the grand prize winner announced, as well as the car show awards.

Holy Smoke proceeds will benefit the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, East Cobb chapter.

 

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Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

PHOTOS: Holy Smoke Festival at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church

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Holy Smoke Festival
Staying cool under the pavilion at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church’s Holy Smoke Festival. (East Cobb News photos and slideshow by Wendy Parker)

Barbecue served up by Williamson Brothers, family activities, live music by local artist Jay Memory, a parachute jump team, antique car show and more were packed into a gorgeous Labor Day Monday afternoon at the Holy Smoke Festival.

The venue and hosts were Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, and organized by its men’s ministry. We’ll just let the pictures tell the story, with a few words here and there, as East Cobb celebrated the holiday weekend in festive style (ICYMI, our photos from the Temple Kol Emeth Noshfest on Sunday).

Holy Smoke Festival

Holy Smoke Festival

Holy Smoke Festival
GTO row at the antique car show, another regular feature of the Holy Smoke Festival.

Holy Smoke Festival

Holy Smoke Festival
With temperatures in the high 80s, sitting atop the dunk tank wasn’t a bad place to be.
Holy Smoke Festival
But kids taking aim had more fun taking him down.

Holy Smoke Festival

Holy Smoke Festival

More photos in the slideshow below from the antique car show and more at the Holy Smoke Festival.

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EAST COBB WEEKEND: Labor Day festivals; football rivalries; live music & more

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Holy Smoke Festival
’50s Chevies and other classic cars will return to the Holy Smoke BBQ Festival on Labor Day at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

The sun’s out, after a couple of rainy (but much-needed) days, just in time for a packed and extended Labor Day holiday weekend calendar of things to do in East Cobb.

Friday’s got the busiest schedule, with all six East Cobb football teams in action, including a couple of backyard rivalry games. Kickoff for all games is 7:30 p.m.:

  • Walton (2-0) at Pope (0-1): The Raiders are in the Top 10 and face a young Greyhounds test in their first hostile environment. Pope is also aiding victims of Hurricane Harvey by asking those attending the football game to bring water bottles to donate. There will be collection bins located through the stadium;
  • Kell (0-1) at Lassiter (2-0): Another all-East Cobb battle and a non-region treat pits two teams that reached the state playoffs last season, and look like they have the goods to contend again;
  • Sprayberry (1-0) at Kennesaw Mountain (1-0): The Yellow Jackets won their season opener and play on the road for the first time;
  • South Cobb (1-1) at Wheeler (1-1): The Wildcats return home after their first win of the season at Centennial; don’t forget the Wildcat Nation Food Truck tailgating event that begins at 5:30 p.m. in the East Cobb Middle School parking lot. The proceeds will benefit the work of the ECMS and Wheeler PTSAs and foundations.

If you’d rather stay indoors while relaxing and dining (or just rockin’) to good music, there’s a good variety to choose from at several East Cobb restaurants and bars:

  • At Chicago’s Steak and Seafood (4401 Shallowford Road), the Tom Olsen Trio plays jazz favorites tonight, with Retrograde performing from the folk rock and acoustic genre Saturday. Both are from 7-10 p.m. at the SpeakEasy Lounge;
  • At Suburban Tap (1318 Johnson Ferry Road), the acoustic-Americana sounds of the Poverty Level band rev up at 10 p.m. Friday, after the prep football games are over;
  • The Wing Cafe & Tap House (2145 Roswell Road) has a high-energy rock lineup planned, with Band X performing party style Friday and Saturday, from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. each night;
  • The traditional weekend fare of dueling pianos is on tap Friday and Saturday at Red Sky (1255 Johnson Ferry Road) starting at 9; and there’s live music also starting at 9 on Friday at the Rose & Crown Tavern (1391 Powers Ferry Road).

The Good Mews Animal Shelter (3805 Robinson Road) is pitching in with Hurricane Harvey relief, serving as a dropping-off point for pet food and litter Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. They say no other items should be donated, and the goods collected are part of a PALS Atlanta effort to help out with dogs and cats affected by the terrible storms and flooding in Texas.

And finally, for the Labor Day weekend festivals. Luckily, they’re scheduled so that you can enjoy them both without missing much at all:

Noshfest
Dancing at last year’s Noshfest. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
  • The Noshfest at Temple Kol Emeth (1415 Old Canton Road), takes place Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free with two canned goods to be donated to MUST Ministries, food and drink tickets range from $1-$4 and can be purchased on-site, as you go. The Sunday lineup includes a cooking demonstration from the General Muir restaurant, a bagel-eating contest and live music from The Alex Guthrie Band (named after East Cobb’s own young music sensation) and Israeli dancing; Monday’s finale winds down with the Nu-Grass Americana sounds of The Chip McGuire Band;
  • On Monday, the Holy Smoke Festival returns to Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (955 Johnson Ferry Road) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition to BBQ meals served up by Williamson Bros. ($6 a plate), there will be a classic car show, live music, a Skydivers parachute jump team, and before all that gets underway, at 5K run and tot trot starting at 9 a.m. Admission is free.

Check out our full East Cobb News calendar listings for more events, this weekend and beyond. Did we miss anything? Do you have an item to share with the public? Contact us, and we’ll post it here! Send an email to: calendar@eastcobbnews.com.

Thanks for getting in touch, and have a terrific Labor Day holiday weekend!

East Cobb Labor Day weekend event schedules for Noshfest, Holy Smoke firming up

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Temple Kol Emeth Noshfest
The Noshfest at Temple Kol Emeth is next Sunday and Monday, Sept. 3-4. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

A week from now is the Labor Day holiday weekend, and two of East Cobb’s signature festivals for that extended weekend are finalizing their schedules.

At the Noshfest, it was announced this week that the Alex Guthrie Band, which is gaining recognition for its “earthy soul” performances in metro Atlanta, Georgia and the South, will be playing next Sunday, Sept. 3, at 1 p.m.

Guthrie is returning to his East Cobb roots, where he stood out as a young musician at Simpson Middle School and Lassiter High School. Want to know what “earthy soul” sounds like? Here’s a 2015 clip of the Alex Guthrie show at the renown Eddie’s Attic in Decatur:

This will be the 7th year for the Noshfest (official website here); admission is free but they ask that you bring two cans of food to be donated to MUST Ministries. Food and drink tickets can be purchased in advance or at the gate. The festival hours are 11am-5pm Sunday and 11am-4pm on Monday at Temple Kol Emeth (1415 Old Canton Road).

Here’s the full entertainment schedule as it stands now for the Noshfest, according to its Facebook page, which provides regular updates for the event:

Sunday, September 3, 2017

11:00 am Flag raising, National Anthem
11:10 am Israeli Dancing (Lessons and Demonstration)
11:30 am Kyra Goldman (Singer/Songwriter)
12:30 pm General Muir Cooking Demonstration
1:00 pm The Alex Guthrie Band
2:00 pm Kagan Entertainment (DJ and MC)
2:00 pm Annual Bagel Eating Contest
2:30 pm Krav Maga Demonstration
3:00 pm The Haskells formally known as TJT’s (Classic Rock Band)

Monday, September 4, 2017

11:00 am Flag raising, National Anthem
11:10 am Israeli DJ Ruby
12:00 pm Atlanta Fever (DJ)
1:00 pm Peyton Parker, The Voice Contestant
2:00 pm The Chip McGuire Band (Nu-Grass Americana Band)

Holy Smoke Festival, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church
The antique car show at the 2016 Holy Smoke Festival featured more than 100 golden oldie buggies. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

A retro car show returns as one of the main features of the Holy Smoke Festival from 11am-3pm Monday at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (955 Johnson Ferry Road), but the barbecue bash includes a lot more in the way of entertainment.

Admission to the festival is free; food plates catered by Williamson Bros. cost $6 each and can be ordered ahead of time (see event website for more).

There’s also a 5K run and tot trot at the church that starts at 9am (more info here); registration fee for the 5K and virtual run is $25 through Sunday; after that it’s $30. There’s no charge to sign up youngsters under 5 for the tot trot. The proceeds for from the race benefit Predisan Health ministries in Honduras.

Here’s more about what’s on tap at Holy Smoke, which drew more than 10,000 visitors last year:

  • kids play area
  • silent auction benefiting Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Storehouse Ministries
  • Antique car show (over 100 cars) and the Silver Wings Skydivers parachute jump team
  • plenty of activities for the family
  • vendor area
  • live music

These events and more can be found at the East Cobb News events calendar; if you have a listing to share with the public, please e-mail us: calendar@eastcobbnews.com.