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LEXINGTON - The City of Lexington and Bob Timberlake Gallery will provide a hospitality area dedicated to the comfort and convenience of the passengers riding North Carolina's Amtrak trains to the 2007 Barbecue Festival on Saturday, October 27.  The Rail Passenger Hospitality Area will include an enclosed 1,200 square foot tent located immediately adjacent to the passenger train stop and a short walk from the Barbecue Festival area in Uptown Lexington. The hospitality area will be staffed all day by volunteer hosts and available to passengers from the time the first train arrives in the morning until the last train departs in the evening. Complementary refreshments will be available throughout the day as well as seating and tables in the tent for train passengers who wish to take a mid-day break from the Barbecue Festival activities. North Carolina's Amtrak passengers will also be able to drop off any purchases at the tent that they do not wish to carry with them through the day.

As an added Festival Day bonus, the Bob Timberlake Gallery of Lexington will offer passengers riding North Carolina's Amtrak to the Festival free shuttle service between the Rail Passenger Hospitality Area and the Bob Timberlake Gallery on East Center Street. The 2007 Barbecue Festival coincides with Timberlake Gallery's annual Fall Open House featuring local craftspeople and musicians from across the state. Bob Timberlake will be on hand from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. to greet visitors and personally sign items.

North Carolina's Amtrak will serve Lexington on Barbecue Festival day with four passenger trains:

• Train 73 will depart Raleigh at 7:05 a.m. making stops to board passengers in Cary, Durham, Burlington, Greensboro and High Point arriving in Lexington at 9:10 a.m.

• Train 80 will depart Charlotte at 7:40 a.m. making stops to board passengers in Kannapolis and Salisbury arriving in Lexington at 8:40 a.m.

• Train 74 will depart Lexington at 6:27 p.m. for High Point, Greensboro, Burlington, Durham, Cary and Raleigh.

• Train 79 will depart Lexington at 7:09 p.m. for Salisbury, Kannapolis and Charlotte.

For complete information on riding North Carolina's Amtrak to the Barbecue Festival, visit bytrain.org. Tickets can be purchased one of three easy ways: on line at Amtrak.com; by calling Amtrak at 1-800-USA-RAIL, or in person at walk-up windows in Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro and Charlotte. Tickets should be booked using the Fare Code "LEX". Book early for the best fares.

The Barbecue Festival, designated as a Southeast Tourism Society Top 20 Event, attracts more than 100,000 people annually to Uptown Lexington.  The day-long street festival (the 24th annual) consists of hundreds of exhibits including a juried art/craft show, six stages of live entertainment, a 50-ton pig themed sand sculpture, the Barbecue Carnival and Family area featuring special activities for children, rides and games, the "Hogway Speedway" racing pigs, an antique car show, bicycle stunt show, "Festival Chop Shop" lumberjack sports show, climbing wall and more. The Festival also features the best barbecue in the world. Festival hours are 8:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and admission to the festival is free.  For additional festival details please see the website www.barbecuefestival.com
        

Additional Information

Rail Passenger Hospitality Area
City of Lexington
John L. Gray, City Manager
336-248-3910
johngray@lexingtonnc.net

William Deal, Lexington Passenger Rail Committee
336-956-6150; 336-240-1984
trainnut10@lexcominc.net

Timberlake Gallery Open House
The Bob Timberlake Gallery
Frank L. Stoner
800-244-0095
fstoner@bobtimberlake.com
www.bobtimberlake.com

Barbecue Festival Events
The Barbecue Festival
Stephanie K. Saintsing, Executive Director
336-956-1880
ss@barbecuefestival.com
www.barbecuefestival.com

Passenger Train Operations
North Carolina's Amtrak
Joan Bagherpour, Marketing Communications Manager
919-733-7245, Ext. 261
jbagherpour@dot.state.nc.us
www.bytrain.org