Nate Waldstein, Shervin Rassa, Crystal Mayes, Megan Waldstein, Kathie Johnson, Teresa Thurtle & Bert Little

Lesley Rincon, Gabe Rubio & Shirley Quintero

Josiah Pool, Charley Shack & Jeff Jourdan

T

he smell of BBQ fi lled the air at Destin Commons as the 
smoke of different pit masters saturated the air around the 
commons on the eve of Independence Day. The 8th Annual 
Smoke on the Coast & Fireworks Festival was a huge success 

with over 15,000 people attending this fun and appetite-fi lling event.  
Locals and visitors enjoyed tasting some mouth-watering BBQ hot off 
the grill, live music, and of course a jaw dropping fi reworks display.   

This year, the event saw the most charity participants teaming up 

to cook with various restaurants and BBQ afi cionados, totaling 17 
nonprofi ts. The 17 charities received donations from Destin Commons’ 
Coins for A Cause program and attendees buying $1 tickets to sample 
BBQ dishes of their choosing. All participating charity teams received 
$2,500.  Emerald Coast Autism Center received $3,000 for assisting 
with event volunteers, making the grand total of donations a signifi cant 
$87,000 for this event. In order, the people’s choice winners were: Destin 
Rotary Club - $6,000 to Destin Rotary Club; Brightview - $5,000 to 

Taylor Haugen Foundation; Hub City Smokehouse - $4,000 to Okaloosa 
Habitat for Humanity; Po Wiggs BBQ - $3,000 to Fresh Start; and The 
Gulf - $2,000 to Air Force Enlisted Village.

Most Spirited awards were also given out as follows: Bass Pro - $1500 

for Toys For Tots; Whole Foods Market – $1,250 to Choctawhatchee 
Bay Alliance; Brightview – $750 to Taylor Haugen Foundation; B&C 
Fire Safety – $1,000 to Children In Crisis; and Big Red Truck –$500 to 
Boys & Girls Club of the Emerald Coast.  

In a blind taste, the Kansas City BBQ Society Certifi ed Judges also 

awarded the popular Judges Pick awards as follows: Destin Rotary Club 
- $5,000 to Destin Rotary Foundation; Big Red Truck - $4,000 to Boys 
& Girls Club of the Emerald Coast; Bowtie BBQ - $3,000 to Emerald 
Coast Science Center; The Gulf - $2,000 to Air Force Enlisted Village; 
Buh’s BBQ - $1,000 Emerald Coast Junior League. The Judges this year 
were Wayne Paul, Gary Perez, and Kevin Louthain.

photos & story by

 

Zhalman Harris

   VIP Destin at Destin Commons

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