27th Annual Barbecue Festival Serves Up Family Fun
September 30, 2010

Lexington, NC -- There's nothing like sniffing the aroma, sharing the flavor, enjoying the taste and savoring every morsel of a barbecue sandwich with 100,000 other people at the same time. Sipping a drink. Talking. Laughing. It's the place to be.

This year, on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010, the streets of Historic Uptown Lexington transform into a great big playground with food, entertainment, shopping and lots of family fun. It all begins at 8:30 a.m. and runs 'til 6 p.m. Admission to the festival is free and plenty of parking will be available. Shuttles will provide transportation service from satellite parking lots throughout the city. Amtrak trains, running between Raleigh and Charlotte, will stop in Lexington in the morning and afternoon. The Piedmont and Carolinian reserve the festival day to make their only stop here during the year.

More than 100,000 people are expected to attend and enjoy the flavor of slow-cooked pork barbecue, the kind that makes the city the "Barbecue Capital of the World."

Each year, the uptown area is filled with arts and crafts vendors, six entertainment stages, street performers, special attractions and festival food. Three large tents serve up thousands of pounds of barbecue sandwiches, freshly made from the festival's official area restaurants. The 27th annual event has an impressive entertainment line-up featuring a variety of music including country, beach, gospel, blues, and rock n'roll!

Country stars Sara Evans and James Otto along with new artists Randy Montana, Laura Bell Bundy, and Stealing Angels will be featured on the grandstand. Rockin' Jason D. Williams is sure to will kick-off the grandstand festivities with his energy laced performance... a show everyone should see! Stage 2 will host performances by The Bahama Mamas, Sweet Dreams Trio, Matt Walsh & Nicole Rapisardi. Stage 3, adjacent to the hospitality garden, will feature Jim Quick & Coastline, Ross Coppley Band, and Eric & The Chill Tones. Stage 4 will kick off with a performance by the LifeGiver Band followed by the Lexington Youth Theatre, Band of Oz, The Grass Cats and Shaggie Maggie. Stage 5 will host fantastic children's enetrtainment including shows by Mark Lippard, Steve Gryb, and Flumpa. And finally, Stage 6 is filled with some of the area'a finest artists including Tony Corner, Bills Daniel's Karate, Trinity, Ken McIver Davis, Allison Crowell & The Drones, Childress Idol Finalists, and the band Resist.

The Barbecue Carnival and Family area provides all kinds of fun activities for children. And, everyone loves the "Hogway Speedway" racing pigs! Other 2010 festival special attractions include: a 50-ton "pig-themed" sand sculpture (yes, 50-tons-that's equivalent to 100,000 pounds of sugar); juried art and craft show; an antique car show; Corvette exhibit; a bicycle stunt show; "Festival Chop Shop" Lumberjack Sports Show; rock climbing wall and lots more.

A visit to the town square at the historic courthouse will give visitors an opportunity to purchase official festival souvenirs. And, be sure to stop by the Childress Vineyards tent, also located at the square, to pick up a bottle of "Fine Swine Wine". In celebration of Lexington's famous barbecue heritage and the Barbecue Festival, nationally renowned artist Bob Timberlake and legendary NASCAR team owner Richard Childress joined forces to create a wine especially for barbecue. Crafted by award winning winemaker Mark Friszolowski of Childress Vineyards, the sixth edition of "Fine Swine Wine" will make it's debut at the festival to satisfy the demand of those who appreciate fine food and wine pairings!

The annual celebration culminates a month-long series of events celebrating the local cuisine: Barbecue Festival Tennis Tournament; Childress Idol Singing Competition; Tour de Pig Cycling Event; Pepsi "Pig Tale" Creative Writing Competition; Barbecue Festival Golf Tournament; Senior "Pig Out" Party, held annually at the Davidson County Senior Center; Hawg Shoot Air-Rifle Match; Riding Hawg Wild Motorcycle Event; Softball Tournament; and the 5K Hawg Run & 1 Mile Fun Run.

The art of slowly cooking pork shoulders over beds of hot hickory coals began in the early1900s. The meat was so tender and tasty, that travelers planned their trips around a stop for a sliced or chopped barbecue sandwich. Today, there are more than 20 barbecue restaurants in the Lexington area.

The idea to develop a local street festival was the brainchild of Joe Sink Jr., former publisher of the local newspaper, The Dispatch. He brought Kay K. Saintsing, a local event producer, on board to develop the community event and collectively they decided the festival should celebrate Lexington's famous barbecue heritage. BB&T agreed to become a co-sponsor... and the festival was born! In 1984, the Barbecue Festival attracted approximately 30,000 people and the barbecue chefs cooked 3,000 pounds of barbecue. In 2009, the attendance was estimated at more than 130,000 people and 15,000 pounds of Barbecue was served.

The Southeast Tourism Society has repeatedly listed the Barbecue Festival as one of its Top 20 Events for October. The governor of N.C. designated the festival as the Official Food Festival of the Piedmont Triad Region of N.C. And the list of kudos goes on. The festival has received more than 50 Excellence Awards from the N.C. Association of Festivals & Events. The Festival was included in the Local Legacies Program to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Library of Congress and in the book, 1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. and Canada Before You Die. USA TODAY recognized the Barbecue Festival as "One of Ten Great Places to Celebrate Food."

And the prestigious Travel & Leisure Magazine claimed the event as "One of the Top Ten Food Festivals in the U.S.A." Most recently, the festival was featured in People Magazine and in The Travel Channel's Barbecue Paradise show.

Still, the Barbecue Festival continues to serve as a year 'round ambassador for the city of Lexington to people round the globe.

So... join the fun on Saturday, Oct. 23, where festival attendees will be treated to the finest arts/crafts, the most exciting entertainment, fantastic special attractions, and of course, the BEST barbecue in the world!