Grits festival features eating contest, 'Rolling in the Grits'

April 16 (UPI) -- The World Grits Festival in South Carolina featured an eating contest for the traditional breakfast food in addition to a "Rolling in the Grits" contest.

The festival, held in St. George, featured Tom McCoskey capturing his seventh consecutive title in the grits eating contest, besting competitors including his own sister.

"She"s got a few second place trophies," McCoskey told the Post & Courier newspaper after the contest. "I don't know what those are like."

Organizers said the biggest draw at the festival is the Rolling in the Grits contest, which features competitors taking turns rolling in an inflatable pool filled with instant grits in an attempt to saturate their clothes.

The record for the contest is gathering 66 pounds of grits, committee member Cassandra Francis said.

"They want to see people rolling in the grits," she said of the festival's visitors. "It's something you don't see anywhere else."