The Summit Club of Flower Mound is firing up its seventh annual Smoke & Whiskey Fest on Saturday, Oct. 31, at the River Walk.

The sanctioned barbecue competition will feature more than 40 cook teams and over 45 vendors, according to Live Local Magazines. Gates open at 11 a.m. and close at 4 p.m. Adult admission is $25, with reduced teen pricing and free entry for children under 12.

The event doubles as a fundraiser. Last year, the club raised nearly $20,000 and distributed it through grants to groups including both high schools' band booster clubs, Winning the Fight, Adaptive Training Foundation and LISD Special Olympics, the North Texas Sun reported.

"We've been here for 52 years and I want us to be around for another 52 … That's the benefit of doing it as a festival as opposed to just collecting money and getting it back out," Summit Club President Don McDaniel told the North Texas Sun in coverage published Oct. 22.

The competition is a state championship sanctioned by the International Barbeque Cookers Association (IBCA) and judged by the Outlaw BBQ Association. Teams will compete in brisket, chicken, spare ribs and pinto beans. About half the teams will also vie for a People's Choice award, and attendees can sample those entries with their general admission ticket. Each guest receives a coin to vote for a favorite.

The festivities start the night before. Flurry's Friday Night Steakout on Friday, Oct. 30, is a limited-capacity dinner starting at 6 p.m. with a cooked-to-order steak, sides and a silent auction. Tickets are $100. An inaugural Friday Night Rib Cook-Off, sanctioned by the Rib Cook-Off Association, will also take place that evening with a guaranteed $2,200 purse.

Saturday morning opens with a pinto bean contest and a Bloody Mary competition. Live music and entertainment run throughout the day. Face painters from the theater departments at Flower Mound and Marcus high schools will be on hand.

"With our event being on Halloween, I think we'll be painting a bunch of faces for trick-or-treating that evening," said Bryan Webb, Summit Club board member and Smoke Fest Czar.

Adults can visit the Whiskey Corral, where more than a dozen distilleries will offer samples. Texas Whiskey Festival founder Jake Clements is helping recruit producers, primarily from Texas. Whiskey Corral tickets range from $75 to $100, with the higher price including early entry. VIP ticket holders also get access to a cigar bar.

The Summit Club, a nonprofit founded in 1974, channels proceeds into direct grants for organizations serving students, families, veterans and first responders across Denton County. McDaniel said the club focuses on "actually being in the community" rather than simply collecting and redistributing donations.

Tickets and information are available at summitclub.org/fm-smoke-fest-home.

Upcoming community events:

  • Saturday, Oct. 31: Smoke & Whiskey Fest, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., River Walk at the Promenade, Flower Mound. Flurry's Friday Night Steakout the evening before, Friday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m.
  • Saturday, Nov. 7: Dorothy's Dash 5K, Flower Mound