User talk:Dennis Brown/25th Anniversary Lexington Barbecue Festival

Lexington's 25th Anniversary Barbecue Festival was held on October 24th, 2008 from 8am to 6pm. The festival is an annual event held in Lexington, North Carolina, United States each October. While the turnout was less than some previous years due to both rain and the economic crisis of 2008, the attendence was still $x, down somewhat from the usual 100,000 or more visitors. Lexington's population is less than 20,000, so the festival brings in 4 to 6 times the usual population for this one day event.

Events
For the event, Main Street is blocked off to all vehicular traffic, as well as the side streets leading up to Main St. The entire event covers over a dozen city blocks. The center of Main St. is used to provide booth space for the different vendors of arts, crafts and other items for sale, while the side streets provide most of the space for food and drink vendors. The festival had a broad range of activities for people of all age ranges.

Children's events
There was a dedicated stage (Stage 5) setup exclusively for children's shows and activities, along with ample seating for over 100. Close by, children had the opportunity to have their picture taken with Spongebob Squarepants, and there were booths setup for face painting and other activities.

Music events
A total of 5 states were setup for a variety of bands, both local and national acts. Chairman of the Board and others played throughout the event. Some acts included an all women's steel drum band, 40s swing music, bluegrass and classic rock.

Carnival rides
Several carnival type rides were active on the south end of the festival, with rides for small children as well as thrillseekers.

Other events
A large sandsculpture was created near the town square, commemorating the 25th anniversary. Stihl sponsored the lumberjack competitions were also held, for both cutting by axe and chainsaw.

Barbecue
The main focus of the festival is the barbecue, making this the largest annual food festival in the state of North Carolina. In 2007, NC House Bill 433 passed, granting the Lexington Barbecue Festival title of "Official Food Festival of the Piedmont Triad Region of the State of North Carolina".