Tickets are currently available for the official Deep Roots Festival 2009 Bubba Grill raffle for $5.

Raffle tickets are available at Milledgeville MainStreet, 127 E. Hancock St., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets are $5 each or five for $20 with the proceeds benefiting downtown revitalization projects.

Bubba Grills is located in Haddock and has been building grills for 10 years. Each year they give away between six and eight grills to worthy causes.

The Bubba Grill retails at $1,200 and is a 120 gallon fat boy charcoal smoker grill. It has two levels of cooking racks, a propane fire starter, inside smoke box and can easily cook up to 20 Boston butts.

The Deep Roots Festival will host a sanctioned Memphis Barbecue Association BBQ contest beginning Thursday, Oct. 22. Barbecue connoisseurs from all over the southeast will compete for cash and prizes totaling $14,000.

Bubba Grills has been participating in the Deep Roots (previously Sweetwater) barbecue competition since 2004 and has won many awards. Some of these include the Backyard award in 2004, second place in the whole hog competition in 2005 and third place in the shoulder competition in 2006.

“The first Sweetwater Festival was around the time we began cooking in the professional circuit, and because of that we feel like we’ve grown up with each other,” said Lonnie Smith, owner of Bubba Grills.

Deep Roots features regional, national and international talents, artists and vendors. For more information about the Deep Roots Festival, visit www.deeprootsfestival.com or call (478) 414-4014.