(Suggested Itinerary)
Friday, October 25th, 2013
Everyone is invited to join Gary and Shirley at their home (805 Gray Mill Rd) for afternoon play to be followed by a dinner of chicken pies, salads, and desserts. We'll start eating around 6:00 PM and have social time, drinks, and under-the-lights petanque.
We do ask that you email CarolinaPetanque@yahoo.com and let us know how many to plan for at dinner. Or call Shirley at 336-247-0436 if you prefer.
Saturday, October 26th, 2013
The BIG DAY for Lexington, North Carolina! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexington The 30th annual barbecue festival http://barbecuefestival.com/ will bring around 150,000 people to our small town of 18,000 people.
It's a day full of family fun. We always try to arrive downtown by around 8:30 to see the streets before the throngs descend. There is an opening “kickoff” on the main stage in front of the old courthouse, complete with local dignitaries and a rendition of the national anthem to get everyone into the spirit of the day.
There are numerous music stages, arts and crafts, rides for the children, street shows that vary from bicycle stunt riders to chainsaw artists to automobile shows, and food vendors (with many offerings besides barbecue) galore. There is a “beer garden” for those who enjoy a little libation with their beach/rock/blues/bluegrass music. And, new this year, a “wine garden” as well.
The barbecue served at the huge tents around town is provided by participating local restaurants. Their offerings are usually limited to pork barbecue sandwiches and maybe hot dogs for the “kids.” The pork is cooked over wood fires (oak and/or hickory) and comes only from shoulder cuts. It is marinated/seasoned with Lexington-style “dip.” The dip is a thin, vinegary concoction which usually includes ketchup and or tomato sauce, brown sugar, and peppers. The usual condiment on a Lexington-style chopped sandwich is a red barbecue slaw. It's a little tart, but mostly sweet. I used to order my sandwiches without slaw, but after thirty years of living in Lexington, I've long since seen the errors of my ways. Try it, you'll like it!
Be advised that the festival is NOT a cook-off type event with different styles and cuts of barbecue. It's not even a representation of the different Lexington-style barbecue choices that one finds (sliced, chopped, coarse-chopped, coarse-chopped-lean, extra-brown, etc.) at a sit-down barbecue restaurant in and around Lexington. To get the real picture of what Lexington-style barbecue is all about, we suggest that you pay a visit to one of our local establishments and try a plate of barbecue with hushpuppies, fries, and barbecue slaw. Maybe even sweet tea, if that's your thing, or Cheerwine (not wine, but a local soft-drink favorite) in regular or diet flavors.
If any of you plan to leave the festival before supper time, the terrain at Finch Park (15 Paul Beck Road) should be available for practice any time after 1:00 PM. The park is about three miles from the downtown area.
We'd like to invite everyone in the petanque group to join us for supper and drinks at 6:00 PM at the Village Grill at 31 W 2nd avenue in downtown Lexington. It's a casual, southern-American, traditional restaurant with home-style cooking and sandwiches. There is a bar, and an area will be reserved for our group. The meal and drinks will be “separate checks, please.” We hope as many of you who can will join us.
There is an after-festival concert planned for this year beginning at 7:00 on the main stage. Two different acts will play until 10:00 PM.
After supper, those of you who are not staying downtown for the concert are welcome to join the group at the private residence of Terry and Sue Wien on High Rock Lake in Lexington. They are at 122 Mountain Harbor Drive. They have four well-lighted courts and a large rec room for socializing.
Sunday, October 27th, 2013
The first official
Lexington Barbecue Festival Petanque Tournament will begin at 9:00
AM. Registration will close at 8:30. The event will be held at
Finch Park at 15 Paul Beck Road in Lexington. After entering the
park, please proceed down the hill to the baseball in field (on your
left as you look down the hill). The tournament will consist of
three rounds of qualifying play to 13 points (not to exceed 70
minutes). The teams will then, based upon qualifying results, be
divided into a Concours (Championship) Division and a Consolante
(Consolation) Division.
Those participating in
the tournament, as well as their friends and families who are
attending, will be provided with a sandwich & chips lunch. Or,
if you prefer, there is a barbecue restaurant within a half-mile of
the terrain.
The remainder of play
will be single-elimination brackets with cash prizes and trophies to
be awarded to the top two teams in each division as shown below.
Questions? Call
Shirley at 336-247-0436.
Championship Team $200 / team
Concours Runners-up $100 / team
Consolante Winners $60 / team
Consolante Runners-up $40 / team
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