I celebrated Thanksgiving in flip-flops and a t-shirt. I had some wild idea that I might do something similar for Christmas.

At Christmas on the River last year I nearly froze to death. At last year’s barbeque cook off, my partner and I constructed a fire pit and regardless of how close we got to the flames, it didn’t seem to do much good.

After a snap of 60 degree highs and 40 degree lows, I thought Mother Nature just may have thrown a break my way.

The 10 day forecast calls for highs in the upper 50s and lows in the high 20s.

Low 20s, especially sitting on the river banks, may as well be subzero.

My partner and our cookoff team travel around Alabama throughout the year for competitions. Most of the time our biggest concern is planning how not to melt in the broiling sun.

That’s not a concern at COTR. Your biggest concern is how you plan to bring your meat to room temperature when your toes are frostbitten through three pairs of socks.

Jack Cooley and the event organizers run a first class competition here. It’s a perfect compliment to all the events, which countless volunteers pour in mountains of man-hours.

I’m glad to call Demopolis my home for this COTR. Living just moments from the festivities makes the event that much more fun.