Mike Parker: BBQ FEST takes aim at world record
Kinston is gearing up for our area’s largest festival of the year – BBQ Festival on the Neuse. On part of Thursday and Friday and all-day Saturday, the extended Herritage Street downtown area will be packed with activities for all ages.
The 44th observance of the Festival will attempt to beat the current world record for the most BBQ sandwiches sold in eight hours. One hundred teams will be on hand to slow cook 100 hog on Friday night so BBQ sandwiches can be ready to go on sale at 11 a.m. Saturday.
But the BBQ FEST is much more than sandwiches. From 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Thursday, May 1, R&D Amusements will host a carnival in Pearson Park. Friday activities begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 2, when the 160 vendors open for business. At 5:30 p.m. G.I. Joe’s/SALUTE! will conduct the opening ceremony for the festival. At 6 p.m. cook teams and their sponsors will be announced and welcomed to the Festival.
R&D Amusements will still hold a carnival in Pearson Park, with Kid’s Fest taking place at Flimsy’s Fun Zone. The Cruise-In for the Classic Car Show will also begin at 5 p.m. Musical performances will begin with country artists Southern Misfits on the Herritage Street stage. Southern Misfits will open for Nashville recording artists Runaway June at 7 p.m. with Runaway June taking the Herritage Street stage at 8:30 p.m.
Billboard has proclaimed Runaway June the “Next Hot Trend in Country Music.” This talented group is composed of Stevie Woodward (lead vocals/guitar/harmonica/piano), Natalie Stovall (vocals/fiddle/guitar), and Jennifer Wayne (vocals/guitar). The trio is known for their seamlessly rich, organic harmonies and fiery, western-rooted bluegrass sound.
Runaway June has performed at Stagecoach, C2C Country To Country, and on some of the biggest tours in country music, opening for superstars like Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Alan Jackson, and Carrie Underwood.
The main day of the Festival is Saturday, May 3. Classic Car Show registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and runs until 11 a.m. The shuttle transport from Historic Grainger Stadium to the Festival begins at 8:45 a.m. Vendors open at 9 a.m.
Festival goers who would like to visit the CSS Neuse Museum may do so for free on May 3. The CSS Neuse II, the full-scale replica of the original CSS Ram Neuse, will be open on Friday and for extended hours on Saturday. Kids Fest – Flimsy’s Fun Zone opens at 10 a.m., as does the R&D Amusements carnival.
You can enjoy dancers performing on the Herritage Street stage. After the Mayor’s Golden Key Ceremony at 12 noon and the Hog Happen’ BBQ Cook-Off Awards at 1 p.m., you can head to the Gordon Street stage to listen to the musical stylings of the British Invaders Band and the No Quarter Brass Band.
Classic Car Show winners will receive awards at 2 p.m. in the Car Show Zone. More than 170 awards will be given for Best of Show Car, Best of Show Truck, Best Import, Best Rat Rod, and the Sponsor’s Choice – to name just a few.
The vendors and the Festival close at 7 p.m., but the shuttle will continue to run until 9 p.m.
This year a representative from the Guinness Book of World Records will be on hand to see if the BBQ Fest can set the record for most barbecue sandwiches sold in one day. BBQ sandwiches will go on sale at 11 a.m. and will be available until the sandwiches run out.
For more information on the BBQ FEST, visit www.kinstonbbq.com.
Come out and help set a Guinness World Record.
Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.
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