CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Barbecue lovers from across the Carolinas will converge in Kannapolis this week for the annual Jiggy with the Piggy Festival.
The annual spectacular attracts the best barbecue cooks from across the country competing for the top prize, including first place in the People's Choice Pork Contest. A total of 50 teams from across the U.S. will cook with bragging rights on the line in one of the largest sanctioned events by the Kansas City Barbecue Society.
Tickets for the People's Choice tasting contest are $10 and go on sale at 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, May 14. Tasters will receive 10 samples before casting their vote for the best. Tasting runs from noon until 2 p.m. unless the pork runs out before then.
Winners will be awarded for best pork, brisket and ribs, with an overall grand champion being handed to the best cook over the weekend.
In addition to the wonderful Carolina barbecue, Jiggy with the Piggy features hundreds of vendors with arts and crafts, as well as live music and other special events for the whole family.
The festival is free and starts with the Jiggy with the Piggy 5K at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The event runs through Sunday.
Friday night's concert with Grammy-nominated and platinum country artist Sammy Kershaw was postponed to 7 p.m. on July 15 at Village Park, due to rain expected Friday. The Louisiana native topped the charts with "She Don't Know She's Beautiful" and "Love of My Life" in the 1990s and recorded several other smash hits.
Free concerts for Thursday and Sunday will still continue as scheduled. Thursday, New Local will perform at 6 p.m. in Veterans Park. Sunday, country bluegrass band Side Step Delux will perform from 1-3 p.m. in Veterans Park.
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