Kids & Family
Classic City BBQ Festival Recap
Second annual Classic City BBQ Festival attracts thousands in Athens, Ga.
ATHENS, Ga. – The recent second annual Classic City BBQ Festival attracted more than 2,400 attendees and raised enough money for the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia to provide 51,000 meals for those in need.
“We are so excited about the continued success of the festival,” said contest organizer Stephanie VanDyck. “We owe a huge thank you to the teams, the vendors and all of the attendees for making this event one of the best of its kind. Many of our participants have already asked about next year, and we can’t wait to bring barbecue and tailgating back to Athens in 2015!”
The festival, held Aug. 15-16, attracted seven restaurant teams which squared off in an Iron Chef-style competition Friday night. Taking home the coveted trophy was Athens Technical College Culinary Arts Program. Athens Country Club earned second place honors, and third place went to George’s Lowcountry Table.
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On Saturday, Killer B’s BBQ of Evans, Ga., was crowned the 2014 Classic City BBQ Festival Professional Grand Champion. Taking home the top spot in the People’s Choice Award Tasting was Major Q, a professional team from Marietta, Ga.
Kenneth Holland with Major Q said his pig trophy is sitting on his mantle right now.
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“We were pretty stoked (about winning People’s Choice),” he said. “It blew our socks off. That’s a great festival they put on. As far as atmosphere, organization and people, I think it’s probably one of the best ones that’s around.”
The festival is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society and is an official Georgia BBQ Championship 2014 Tour Event.
Aside from the competitions, the festival included live music on the outdoor stage, a tailgate tradeshow, classic car show and a kid zone.
A portion of the proceeds from the festival benefited the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, a local nonprofit that works to end hunger as part of an overall community effort to alleviate poverty. The Food Bank sold raffle tickets during the festival for prizes ranging from a Big Green Egg to the ultimate University of Georgia football tailgate package.
Mark your calendars for the third annual Classic City BBQ Festival scheduled for Aug. 14-15, 2015.
Visit ClassicCityBBQFest.com to see a complete list of contest winners and for more information, or call 706-357-4417.