What should have been the 13th annual Spruce Pine BBQ Festival in October 2024 was another victim of last year’s disaster. Not only was the festival ruined but so was its historic venue, Riverside Park.
The number 13 was luckier this year, as the festival returned last Saturday. As Riverside Park is still damaged, Lower Street (Locust Avenue) served as host.
Four barbecue specialists set up shop near the train depot, offering a chance for intrepid diners to sample and compare their fare: Spruce Pine’s own Savor and Saunter (serving barbecued beef brisket and chicken), along with CJ’s BBQ (Southern-style barbecued pork specials), were joined by Burnsville’s Pig and Grits (Southern-style pork with the restaurant’s signature, house-made sauces) and Green Mountain’s Mountaineer BBQ (Texas-style barbecue).
Several other food trucks supplied beverages, snacks, and ice cream, while the festival’s original project sponsor, Spruce Pine’s Rotary Club, served beer near the dining tent, giving the festival the air of an Oktoberfest.
Depending on which press release you read, the festival’s “BBQ” is occasionally joined by “Bluegrass” in the title, and bluegrass was certainly an important component to this year’s event. A roster of musicians provided the day’s entertainment, including the renowned Rhonda Gouge of Mitchell County and the Carolina Bluegrass Style quartet from Columbia, S.C., who, with their three-part harmony, effortlessly moved from Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs to Bob Marley.
The festival also featured entertainment for children and craft vendors, as well as allowing adults to work out frustrations or practice their aim through Clever Rabbit Axe Throwing.
The general admission fee has always aided the local Rotary Club in its charitable enterprises, from granting scholarships to Mitchell County students to setting up water filtration systems in Haiti. But last year’s catastrophe has forced the local chapter to concentrate on the immediate needs of the region.
Rotarian Janie DeVos mentioned a number of local projects that the club has taken on post-Helene, including the ongoing repairs to Riverside Park, the past venue of choice for the BBQ Festival. However, DeVos was very pleased with this year’s change of venue.
“So far, this afternoon is going very well,” DeVos said. “This feels like a better fit with downtown, I think. I’m extremely happy with the results.”
Whether next year’s festival returns to the park or decides to take up permanent residence downtown, Spruce Pine will benefit from this event’s continuation.