Blue jeans & BBQ

Rev up your appetite, put on your best best-fitting blue jeans, grab a lawn chair or blanket and head to Byerly Park Friday night for the third annual Black Creek, Blue Jeans and BBQ Festival. The two-day event is sponsored by Black Creek Arts Council.

Whether there to compete in the cooking contest, to enter the “I Love My Blue Jeans Contest,” to eat, or just to have a good time, there will be something for the entire family to enjoy.

New this year is the backyard cooking competition. Local backyard chefs and chefs from Hartsville restaurants will compete for prizes in an array of cook-offs. The competition begins with the Backyard Division Wings Throw Down, Appetizer Taste Off and Delicious Dessert contest at 7 p.m.

Also on Friday night is the Anything Butt Contest. Contestants – local restaurants, caterers and competition chefs – will try their hand at cooking anything but pork. Past favorites have included appetizers, soups, stews, fish, chicken, beef kabobs and desserts.

All voting will be done by festival attendees who have purchased tickets. Friday night tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for children ages 9 to 12. Children nine and under free.

Musician Dan E. Lockamy will perform Friday night. Carol Goranson will have a selection of local microbrews available for tasting by adults.

On Saturday, the day starts at 11:30 a.m. with the BBQ Tasting. Professional cook teams will be competing for the best barbecue. On Friday night the 10 to 12 teams will have begun preparing their Boston butts and ribs, many of which will have cooked throughout the night.

“The teams come from North Carolina, South Carolina and some are local,” said Judy Haenni, event coordinator. “The reigning champion is returning to defend his title and two of our cook teams are in the top five Masters Awards competitions in the South Carolina BBQ association points total."

On Saturday, the South Carolina BBQ Association judges will perform one round of judging. Festival-goers serving as the judges for the People’s Choice Award.

"If you ever watch the food network channel and see any BBQ competitions this has the same pressures but on a smaller scale,” sadi Haenni. “Our cook teams are vying for over $3,000 dollars in prize money, over Friday and Saturdays competitions, as well as unique trophies designed by local artist Patz Fowle."

Saturday will feature fun for the entire family. There will be inflatables, pony rides, face painting and clay sculpture-making with Mike and Patz Fowle. Also, local waiters and waitresses will compete in the Waiter’s Race, an Olympic-style competition that proves who is the most agile and effective server in Hartsville, said BCAC executive director Allison Pederson.

Pederson said there will also be a special demonstration by locally-trained Marines on Saturday. These Marines have been at a Hartsville training site for the Improvised Explosive Device Detector Dog Handlers IIDD). The handlers and their Labrador Retrievers will conduct the first ever public showing by an IDD group. After completing their training in Hartsville, these Marines will be deployed to Afghanistan.

Tickets for Saturday are $10 for adults and $5 for children 9 to 12 years of age. Children under nine are admitted free with an adult.

 “I am really excited about this year’s event, there is a lot of community involvement, and by moving the event to Byerly Park, we are making use of one of Hartsville's great assets,” said Pederson.

“This event is a major fundraiser for the Black Creek Arts Council, which allows BCAC the opportunity foster the arts in our community. These funds will aid in allowing us to continue to hold art exhibits free to the public, art classes of all styles, after-school activities as well as continue to assist local arts and cultural organizations with their management, funding and program coordination. It's important to mention that with out all of our community support, sponsors and volunteers this event could not take place. We cannot thank them enough.”

This year’s festival is offering advance ticket sales for a two-day ticket. Adult tickets are $25 and a family of four or more ticket price is $60. Advance ticket sales are for both Friday and Saturday festivities. The ticket gets you all you can eat and two drink tickets for each day. Pre-sold tickets must be presented both days at the ticket booth to receive that day’s colored arm band and drink tickets.

For more information, visit www.blackcreekarts.org or contact Pederson at (843) 332-6234.