A killer Georgia festival

Summertime means tomatoes and in the South we grow ‘em, eat ‘em and celebrate ‘em. In Atlanta, they even throw a killer festival.
            Literally.

            The eighth annual Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival serves up all things tomato —bruschetta, salsas, sauces, entrees, you name it. There’ll be spirits as well, including Bloody Mary’s and other tomato-enhanced drinks. Proceeds benefit Georgia Organics and The Giving Kitchen, a non-profit that provides financial support in times of unforeseen crisis for people in the Atlanta restaurant community.

            This year’s festival will be from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 17, 2016, at the Park Tavern of Atlanta and will feature dozens of chefs and mixologists, plus live music. An after party follows at 5 p.m. at Park Tavern. Check out the list of participants here.

            Last year's festival raised $60,000 for Georgia Organics and this year the goal is $100,000. Come on tomato lovers, start seeing red for a good cause!

Cheré Dastugue Coen is a food and travel writer living in Lafayette, Louisiana. She is the author of several Louisiana romances under the pen name of Cherie Claire and “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.

Barbells, bacon and Buckinghams at the beach: Daytona Beach has ecclectic June offerings

            I don’t get the current fad of eating bacon and other pork products. Didn’t we just get advised to avoid these fatty food products? I’m so confused.

Not that that keeps me from eating bacon, mind you.

And now we have the Bacon Beatdown June 26-28 in Daytona Beach, Florida, a three-day serious — and we mean serious — fitness competition where people compete in rope climbing, gymnastics, power lifting and Olympic lifting movements, then eat bacon? Organizers call the event, which attracts thousands of competitors and spectators, a “food and fitness festival celebrating bacon, barbells and badassery.”

If you think you have what it takes to compete while enjoying bacon, visit www.thebaconbeatdown.com.

I’d rather be pulling my tie-dyed shirt over my rolls, I mean muscles, and enjoying libations at the Hippie Fest and Happy Together Tour on June 19 at the Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach. It’s a groovy outside festival and concert that begins at 4 p.m. with music starting at 7:30 p.m. by The Turtles featuring Flo and Eddie, The Association, The Grass Roots, The Buckinghams, The Cowsills and Mark Lindsay, former lead singer of Paul Revere and the Raiders.

Cheré Coen is an award-winning travel writer specializing in the Deep South. She is also the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.