Life

Blue Ridge BBQ festival offering 3-hour free admission

By Bill Moss, Published: May 28, 2012

TRYON — The popular Blue Ridge Barbecue festival is offering free admission from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, June 8, the first day of the festival.Guests get in free and stay all day if they wish. Other times, tickets are $8 at the gate, with kids 12 and under admitted free with a paying adult. 
Active duty military are always free with military ID. Gates open at 11 am on Friday and at 10 am on Saturday, closing both days at 11 pm.

Classic Cars will return to the 19th annual festival on Saturday. Dennis Nagle, who chairs the Festival Car Show Committee, said last year's event, a first for the festival, was a big success, drawing approximately 120 cars, and he expects this year to be even better.
Entry fee is $20 per car and includes admission for two people.
The Carolina Classic Car Club of Spartanburg, SC, is hosting the event. Registration is from noon until 3 pm when judging begins. Winners will be announced at 7 pm. Best of Show Car and Truck will be chosen, and trophies will be award to the top 20 cars and trucks.

If you have questions about displaying a car at the Festival, contact the BBQ Office, at 828-859-7427.
The festival is held at Harmon Field in Tryon. It includes not only a cooking competition--sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society--and great music (on two stages) but also a juried craft fair with up to 50 artists and crafters displaying, demonstrating and selling their art; carnival rides and games for kids of all ages; interesting and informative sponsor displays and, of course, some of the best food to be had anywhere. Saturday's special events include the Classic Car Show and two "Hawg" Runs (motorcycle poker runs), one originating in Greenville and the other in Asheville, both ending at the Festival.

The Festival is operated by the Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce. Proceeds help support Chamber operations, and additional funds go to the Carolina Foothills Chamber Foundation to be returned to the community through distributions to a variety of charitable and civic programs and projects throughout the county. For further information, call the Festival office at 828-859-RIBS (7427) or visit BlueRidgeBBQFestival.com.