Music and food are big parts of living in the south and thanks to a new festival coming to Wind Creek Casino and Hotel next weekend, Atmore residents won’t have far to travel to enjoy the combination.

The first Foodabluza event, coordinated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, will come to Wind Creek Friday and Saturday, April 26-27 and will include plenty of music and food, including popular blues artist Kenny Wayne Shepherd and a professional eating competition featuring Major League Eating stars Tim “Eater X” Janus and Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas.

Amanda Warren, marketing manager for Escape Spa at Wind Creek, said the new festival was created with everyone in mind.

“It’s going to be family friendly,” Warren said. “It’s going to have a little something for everyone.”

Schedule of events

• MUSIC: Foodabluza will showcase a lineup of blues and country artists headlined by Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Also featured will be performances by the Atlanta Rhythm Section, Major Moves Band, Ryan Balthrop, 31 South, Flite Time, Grayson Capps, and Vasti Jackson.

• EATING COMPETITIONS: Tim “Eater X” Janus, the number-three ranked eater in the world, will battle number-four ranked Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas at Foodabluza’s Creek Indian Taco Eating Championship. Amateur eaters are encouraged to enter contests for the chance to win up to $10,000.

•COOKING COMPETITIONS:  Wind Creek’s Culinary Institute will host the 3rd Annual Culinary Masters American Culinary Federation’s Competition in their state-of-the-art facility.  Local and nationally-recognized chefs will also heat up the kitchen with the first annual “Best Chef of Alabama” competition for professional chefs.

• BBQ CHALLENGE: Mingle with Celebrity Chef Sara Horowitz, runner-up on Hell’s Kitchen and recently toured with Justin Bieber as his cook, as she hosts the Best Creekin’ BBQ Challenge at Foodabluza.

Foodabluza begins Friday from 5 until 8 p.m. It continues Saturday from noon until 6 p.m. Tickets are available at Foodabluza.com