BY MARCELLE HANEMANN

The Daily News

Up until a year ago, the air inside Birdie’s Roadhouse in Varnado was regularly filled with about as much cigarette smoke as it was with the extraordinary music for which the popular venue is known.

But that changed, and in celebration of the establishment’s being smoke-free for one year, ADAPT, Inc. will present owner Sandy Nauman with a Great American Smokeout Award during a special GASO event at Birdie’s from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday.

The award is sponsored by the Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco Free Living.

Thursday will mark the 37th annual Great American Smokeout, an American Cancer Society project designed to encourage smokers to at least begin the process of quitting the habit.

According to the ACS, tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States, yet about 43.8 million Americans, nearly one in every five adults, still smoke cigarettes.

To further encourage and help guide local smokers to quit, ADAPT will have an information/resource table set up with brochures and handouts at the Birdie’s event. There will also be door prizes and light refreshments.

For additional information about the Smokeout, visit www. cancer.org/healthy/stayawayfromtobacco/greatamericansmokeout/index.