When Irish eyes start smiling, the pot and pans start rattling around in kitchens all across Pike County in anticipation Troy University’s annual Irish Celebration Cooking Contest.

This year’s contest is set for 11 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day, Thursday, March 17, in the Trojan Center Lobby.

Although the Irish Celebration Cooking Contest is a university sponsored event and held on campus, it is open to community cooks. And, those community cooks take home a vest full of green ribbons each year.

“We encourage the Troy University faculty, staff and students and the community to put their cooking skills to the test and enter this fun and tasty cooking contest,” said Bronda Barron, event coordinator.

The contest is divided into five categories, salads/appetizers, main entrees, side dish/vegetables, breads and desserts. Each contestant may enter one or all of the five categories but only one entry per category.

“Entries will be judged on taste, originality and presentation,” Barron said. “Presentation is not everything but it does catch the eyes of the judges. And, because it is an Irish cooking contest, the entries do need to have an Irish flair and it can be simple – that’s what green food coloring is for – or it can be quite elaborate.”

Entries should be checked in before 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 17, at the Trojan Center Lobby.

First and second prizes will be awarded in each category and a “Best of Show” award will be given to the overall winner of the 2011 Irish Celebration Cooking Contest.

There is no entry fee and, after the judges have made their selections, everyone will get to sample all of the Irish offerings from appetizers to desserts.

To enter the Irish Celebration Cooking Contest, send your name, address, phone number and the categories you plan to enter to Bronda Barron, Office of Development, 1120 Highway 231, Troy, AL 36081 or fax the entry to 334-670-5855 by Thursday, March 10.