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Lexington, NC -- There's nothing like sniffing the aroma, sharing the flavor, enjoying the taste and savoring every morsel of a barbecue sandwich with 100,000 other people at the same time. Sipping a drink. Talking. Laughing. It's the place to be.

You'll find such camaraderie during the 24th Annual Barbecue Festival, in Lexington. The Barbecue Festival is always held one of the last two Saturdays in October. And it's a big deal...

This year, on Saturday, October 27, 2007, the streets of Historic Uptown Lexington transform into a great big playground with food, entertainment, shopping and lots of family fun. It all begins at 8:30 a.m. and runs 'til 6:00 p.m. The Festival is free and plenty of parking will be available. Shuttles will provide transportation service from satellite parking lots throughout the city. Amtrak trains, running between Raleigh and Charlotte, will stop in Lexington in the morning and afternoon. The Piedmont and Carolinian reserve the Festival day to make their only stop here during the year.

More than 100,000 people are expected to attend and enjoy the flavor of slow-cooked pork barbecue, the kind that makes the city the "Barbecue Capital of the World."

Each year, a nine-square block region of the uptown area is filled with arts and crafts vendors, entertainment stages, street performers, and festival food. Three large tents serve up thousands of pounds of barbecue sandwiches, freshly made from area restaurants.

The 2007 entertainment schedule will feature performances by some of the finest local, regional, and national talent. The Grandstand will once again host the annual "104.1 WTQR Guitar Pull" featuring country music stars Mark Wills, Steve Holy, Andy Griggs & Danielle Peck. Other Grandstand performers include Chairman of the Board, The Alabama Blues Brothers, and the Bull City Syndicate. The Children's Stage will feature outstanding acts including Mark Lippard, the Mountain Marionettes Puppet Show, and Magic by Ryan Short. The other stages will include performances by the Band of Oz, Coastline Band, the Extraordinaires, Grass Cats, Sweet Dreams Trio, SwapdaWamp, Apple Chill Cloggers, Scearce & Ketner, the Bahama Mamas, and many other local and regional groups. Please see a festival brochure or visit the festival website www.barbecuefestival.com for a complete listing of entertainment.

The Barbecue Carnival and Family area provides all kinds of fun activities for children. And, everyone loves the "Hogway Speedway" racing pigs! Other 2007 festival special attractions include: a 50-ton Pig Themed Sand Sculpture (yes, 50-tons-that's equivalent to 100,000 pounds of sugar); Juried Art and Craft show; an Antique Car Show; Corvette exhibit; a Bicycle Stunt Show; "Festival Chop Shop" Lumberjack Sports Show; Rock Climbing Wall and lots more. Photo opportunities abound!

The annual celebration culminates a month-long series of events celebrating the local cuisine: Barbecue Festival Tennis Tournament, Oct. 6 - 7; Childress Idol, Oct. 6- 7, Tour de Pig, October 13; Pepsi "Pig Tale" Creative Writing Competition, Sept. 26 - Oct. 17; "Swine on Your Mind? See Your Ideas Go Up in Sand" Sand Sculpture Design/Theme Competition Sept.28 - Oct.12; Barbecue Festival Golf Tournament, Oct. 20-21; Festival High School Air-Rifle Match Competition, Oct. 20; Senior "Pig Out" Party, held annually at the DC Senior Center, Oct.24; and the Hawg Run, held the morning of the Festival.

Each year, more than 40 area non-profits raise money by selling concessions, parking cars, selling raffle tickets, and more. The Davidson County Chapter of the American Red Cross holds its largest blood drive at the celebration.

The art of slowly cooking pork shoulders over beds of hot hickory coals began in the early 1900s. The meat was so tender and tasty, that travelers planned their trips around a stop for a sliced or chopped barbecue sandwich. Today, there are more than 25 barbecue restaurants in the Lexington area.

The idea to develop a local street festival was the brainchild of Joe Sink, Jr., publisher of the local newspaper, The Dispatch. He brought Kay Saintsing, a local event producer, on board to develop the community event and collectively they decided the festival should celebrate Lexington's famous barbecue heritage. BB&T agreed to become a co-sponsor …and the festival was born! In 1984, the Barbecue Festival attracted approximately 30,000 people and the barbecue chefs cooked 3,000 pounds of barbecue. In 2004, the attendance was estimated at more than 130,000 people and 15,000 pounds of Barbecue was served.

The Barbecue Festival has won numerous awards, including being named one of the Top Ten Food Festivals in America, by Travel & Leisure Magazine. The Southeast Tourism Society has repeatedly listed the Barbecue Festival as one of its Top 20 Events for October. Most recently the governor of NC designated the festival as the Official Food Festival of the Piedmont Triad Region of NC.

And the list of kudos goes on. The Festival was included in the Local Legacies Program to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Library of Congress and was most recently named One of Ten Great Places To Celebrate Food, by USA Today.

Still, the Barbecue Festival continues to serve as a year 'round ambassador for the city of Lexington to people round the globe.

For more information, log onto www.barbecuefestival.com or call 336-956-1880.