The quaint rural town of Lexington is at the heart of North Carolina's BBQ trail. Every October Lexington attracts over 100,000 visitors for their annual BBQ Festival. The beautiful weather brought an enormous crowd to the downtown streets this year. Several blocks of Lexington's Main Street were lined with carnival rides,  food, craft vendors, and live entertainment. We spent the afternoon taking in the sights while attempting not to get lost in the mass of humanity.

Lexington's festival is strictly a celebration...not a competition. Several of the local joints actually join forces to produce chopped pork sandwiches and plates for the hungry patrons. There are three large BBQ tents along the main drag. Each tent features dozens of volunteer feverishly scooping and plating chopped cue and slaw.

The festival offers a wide range of food options. Along with the usual carnival fare of fries, sausages, and bloomin onions, there were also vendors serving up unique specialties like cheese cake, gyros, and crab cake sandwiches. Despite all these enticing options, I simply couldn't allow myself to eat anything other than BBQ. I enjoyed two chopped sandwiches (with slaw). For some reason, the sandwiches at the festival always seem to taste better than the ones I get from restaurants. It's difficult to fathom a reason. It may just be in my head. Regardless, I always look forward to Lexington's chopped pork each October. 

The festival is something that Katie and I look forward to every year. It's provides a great oppurtunity to sample great food and browse local craft merchants. Adults can enjoy the live music, classic cars, and wine tasting. Children can see live animals, experience the thrills of carnival rides, and taste a variety of sweets. Most of all, it's a great place for people watching. Needless to say, a festival of this size attracts all kinds...