Smokin' Aces Festival and BBQ Championship Presented by Pepsi Heats Up Harrah's Tunica September 16 - 17

TUNICA, Miss., July 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The second annual Smokin' Aces Festival and BBQ Championship presented by Pepsi will heat up Harrah's Tunica September 16 – 17, 2011.

The festival is open to the public with no fee to enter the festival grounds and portions of festival proceeds will benefit Porter-Leath. Harrah's Tunica is offering special hotel rates of Sunday – Thursday for $59 and Friday – Saturday for $119. Book online by clicking this link or call 1-800-427-7247 and mention group code S9BBQ11. More information can be found online at www.smokinacesfestival.com.

"We've added some great events to the Smokin' Aces Festival this year including a huge car show, the Double Down Beer-Rita Fest with over 100 beverages including beer and frozen drinks for sampling, people's choice BBQ tasting, American Cornhole sanctioned competitions, live music, and, of course, our Smokin' Aces BBQ Championship so we hope that everyone will come out and play at the Smokin' Aces Festival this year," said Valerie Morris, vice president of communications, community relations, and convention services for Caesars Mid-South.

Events include:

Smokin' Aces BBQ Championship

Over $40,000 in prizes will be awarded in this Memphis Barbecue Network sanctioned contest. The grand champion receives $12,500 and an entry into the 2012 Memphis in May Barbecue Championship. More information, registration packets, judge request forms, and payout schedules may be found online at www.smokinacesbbqchampionship.com

Koss MotorSports Full House Auto Fest Car Show, Competition, and Poker Run

The Koss MotorSports Full House Auto Fest features over $5,500 in prizes with over 125 classes for all years, makes, and models of automobiles. Antique cars, classic cars, street rods, trucks, motorcycles, imports, sport compacts, and mini trucks will all be on display and competing.  Other events associated with the Full House Auto Fest include: Beale Street Cruisin' September 15 from 4:30 – 7 p.m. with a parade to Harrah's Tunica led by the Tunica Sherriff's Office 1940 model police cruiser, IACS Sound Off, Drifting, VIP Show, Autocross, KMS Kuties, and KMS golf tournament.  For more information, registration, car classes, prize listings, and hotel package information see http://www.kossmotorsports.com/harrahsresorts.html.

American Cornhole Organization Sanctioned Events

The American Cornhole Organization's Texas Hole'em ACO Cornhole Classic will feature over $6,500 in prizes, King and Queen of Cornhole Qualifiers for the King and Queen of Cornhole World Championships that will be held at Harrah's Tunica January 5 - 8, 2012, and spotlight tournaments with $5 entry per player. More information is available online at www.americancornhole.com and www.kingofcornhole.com.

Double Down Beer-Rita Fest and BBQ Tasting

Guests may choose to taste from over 100 beverages which includes beers from around the world, margaritas, and other frozen concoctions in the Double Down Beer-Rita Fest Friday from 5 – 9 p.m. and Saturday from Noon – 4 p.m. Tickets to the Double Down Beer-Rita Fest cost $35 per day and can be purchased on Ticketmaster.com. The entry fee allows guests a souvenir tasting glass and access to unlimited tasting. Guests may also judge world championship BBQ from the Smokin' Aces BBQ Championship in the Smokin' Aces People's Choice tent from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday. Guests receive four samples of barbecue, a scorecard, and a Pepsi for only $7. More information and updates may be found online at www.smokinacesfestival.com.

Live Music

Friday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. local party band the Soul Shockers will entertain the crowd from the main stage. Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Venus Mission will get the crowd in a dancing mood before Dr. Zarr's Amazing Funk Monster plays from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. More information and updates may be found online at www.smokinacesfestival.com.

About Harrah's Tunica

Harrah's Tunica is located 20 minutes south of Memphis, Tennessee and was originally opened in 1996 as Grand Casino. On May, 23, 2008 Paula Deen cut the official grand opening ribbon at Harrah's Tunica featuring the first of its kind Paula Deen Buffet and an interactive gaming floor that is the largest in the region. Spanning over 2,000 acres, Harrah's Tunica features the The Paula Deen Buffet, the Links at Cottonwoods championship golf course designed by Hale Irwin, Willows Sporting Clays and Hunting Center, the Mid-South Convention Center offering over 65,000 square feet of indoor meeting space and over 50,000 square feet of outdoor area, three elegant hotels totaling 1356 hotel rooms, the 200-space Mid-South RV Resort, Bellissimo Spa and Salon, The Funny Bone Comedy Club, and a 2,400 seat event center that features headline entertainment. For more information, please visit www.harrahstunica.com.

About Porter-Leath:

For over 150 years, Porter-Leath has been the primary resource for Memphis' at-risk children & families.  By focusing on the essential building blocks of healthy development, we not only give them access to the tools they need, but also a sense of hope.  The result: Porter-Leath is helping build stronger children, stronger families & a stronger Memphis. For more information, please visit www.PorterLeath.org

SOURCE Harrah’s Tunica