Every October, the quiet small town of Lexington, North Carolina, comes to life with the Lexington Barbecue Festival. As expected, this year’s festival – held on Saturday the 26th – found the uptown streets teeming with thousands of die-hard fans of the smoked, chopped pork delight that is Lexington’s specialty. Although the revelry was threatened by overcast skies and chilly temperatures, the weather held and the spirit of the crowd remained high.Evidence of the festival’s popularity could be seen upon entering town, simply by noticing the uncharacteristically heavy traffic. Enterprising groups had secured lots on the fringe of the uptown area, charging up to five dollars for a parking space. Shuttle buses ran to the festival from the Davidson County Airport, and Amtrak even added several “special event” stops in Lexington for the day.
North Main Street in the business district was blocked to vehicular traffic for nine full blocks. Street vendors offered a wide selection of products from homemade sauces to hand-crafted silver jewelry. A number of raffles were also held, with prizes running the gamut from a bay window to a prized antique Bentley sedan. Countless charities raked in money for worthy causes as tickets were snapped up by passers-by.
The carnival-like atmosphere was enhanced by the many showy performers displaying their talents. One juggled flaming torches while balanced upon a unicycle. Another towered high above the masses on stilts. Skilled BMX bikers executed stunts that the laws of physics probably should have deemed impossible.
Musical entertainment was provided on five large stages set up at intervals throughout the festival. Peralta filled the air with Latin-influenced jazz on the main grandstand, while just down the street at the children’s stage, Buffalo Barfield and his whimsical crew covered Jimmy Buffett and The Drifters.
A popular gathering place throughout the day was the Hogway Speedway, which featured a hay-covered oval track where pigs were raced. Yep, you read that right. Dubbed with Nascar-esque monikers like Piggy Jarrett and Squealing Earnhardt, Junior, both piglets and larger porkers shuffled around at the urgings of cheering, enthusiastic onlookers. Ducks were raced as well.
Saturday also saw the completion of a 16-foot-square sand sculpture across from the Smith Civic Center. The creation was elaborate, if somewhat macabre: several cartoon-ish pigs standing around a brick roaster with another tied and waiting to be turned into delectable pork products. Morbid or not, crowds had to be pushed aside to get a clear glimpse of the construction.
And naturally, the barbecue itself was outstanding. Seven Lexington barbecue establishments cried their wares from barbecue tents placed at centralized locations. An interesting strategy: prices for chopped sandwiches were standardized at a steep three dollars, seemingly to discourage a monopoly by any one business. The fun was in chowing down on one sandwich after another, trying to catch the subtle distinctions between what the restaurants had to offer.
Other events included a book signing by Bob Garner, author of a newly released book on Tar Heel barbecue, and a special appearance by George Lindsey – known for his role as “Goober” on “The Andy Griffith Show.”
At six that evening, tents came down and the clean-up began. It seems unlikely that anyone left without a smile. And almost definitely not without a bellyful of Lexington barbecue.