CMA Fest Gets Cooking

5/8/2008 Kasey Bell The CMA Music Festival is known mostly for Country Music and its fans, but this year there is something new. This year’s MusicFest will play host to both the CMA Music Festival BBQ Championship and the Fiesta Celebrity Grilling Challenge.  Both events will take place on the weekend of June 7-8, 2008.  The BBQ Championship will featured teams from across the nation competing in a series of categories for a share of $17,000 and a number of other prizes for the winners in each category.  Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and CMA Executive Producer Tony Conway will be two of the judges. “We are excited to host the BBQ Championship this year,” said Tammy Genovese, CMA Chief Executive Officer.  “We know that people take their barbecue very seriously, and we look forward to watching the teams compete.” This year will also mark the debut of the Fiesta Celebrity Grilling Challenge.  Six artists and celebrities will be teamed with six professional chefs in a culinary competition.  Country Music legend Mel Tillis has already been confirmed as a participant. “I love to grill, I love to cook, I love to bake,” Mel said.  “I’m experienced in all that stuff , and I thought it’d be a lot of fun, too.” To register for the competition, go to www.CMAfest.com/bbq.