The Pioneer Museum of Alabama will host its inaugural Homegrown Cornbread Festival Saturday, November 18 on the museum grounds.

The featured event of the rather unique food-centered festival will be the cornbread competition and cook-off with prizes provided by Lodge Cast Iron.

Who wouldn’t want to win a piece of Lodge Cast Iron and, if that’s not enough, the Pioneer Museum is throwing in a year’s membership to the museum.

“We are excited about the Homegrown Cornbread Festival and the opportunity it presents to honor a bread that is simply Southern,” said Kari Barley, museum director. “Cooks of all ages are invited to enter their favorite cornbread in the contest. The entry fee is $25, which includes the festival entry fee for the contestant and one guest. The cooks of the three cornbreads judged best will compete on stage for the top prizes and cornbread braggin’ rights.”

Entries will be accepted at 8:30 a.m. on festival day and the cooks should be available for the 2 p.m. cook-off in the event their cornbread is judged one of the best three.

“We’ll have gas stoves for the winners to cook their cornbread and the cook-off will be held on stage before an audience,” Barley said.

The festival will also feature a Cornbread Corner and all non-profit organizations are invited to bring samples of their signature cornbreads and display information about their organizations and upcoming events.

The Cornbread Festival will also have vendors that offer a variety of arts and crafts including paintings, jewelry, pottery and woodwork and a wide selection of food items. Vendor booths are $40 and food booths are $55. Electricity and water hookups are available for $10. For more information, call 334-566-3497.

“The festival will also have a fun kids’ area with pioneer games and lots more,” Barley said. “We’ll have live music and wagon rides. The Homegrown Cornbread Festival will be a finger-licking, foot-stomping good time and we invite everybody who likes to have an old-fashioned good time to join us for the Homegrown Cornbread Festival on Saturday, November 18 at the Pioneer Museum of Alabama.

Admission is $10 per person. Ages 10 and under are admitted free.