Lawrenceville hosts BBQ for good
With temperatures rising and the hint of spring in the air, the first weekend in March promises heavenly aromas and mouthwatering barbeque in Lawrenceville as the 7th annual Sip & Swine BBQ Festival returns. The free event on March 4-5 raises funds from vendor and BBQ team fees, tastings and raffle tickets to benefit Home of Hope at Gwinnett Children’s Shelter, a nonprofit serving homeless children and their young mothers. Located at Coolray Field, this year’s festival promises to be the biggest to date, with more than 110 BBQ competition teams.
Festival attendees can expect a variety of family-friendly activities designed to put the “fun” in fundraising. These include live music by popular local groups, pet adoptions, face painting, a bungee jump, the offerings of more than 80 talented craft vendors, awards for the best professional and amateur BBQ teams and, of course, delicious barbeque. Record-breaking crowds are expected to attend the Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned event after it was canceled last year due to COVID-19.
During the past six years, the Sip & Swine BBQ Festival raised approximately $400,000 for Home of Hope at Gwinnett Children’s Shelter. Those funds have helped the residential facility – which is celebrating its 35th anniversary – transform the lives of homeless children, mothers and young women aging out of the foster care system.
Festival hours are 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, March 4, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 5. Parking is free.
Assisting kids is nothing new for Lawrenceville and its community service organizations. The city’s Summer of Impact program is helping high school students find meaningful paid internships and learn career-oriented skills. The success of the four-year-old initiative earned Lawrenceville a Visionary City recognition from the Georgia Municipal Association. Learn more about Lawrenceville’s program and eight other Visionary Cities creating positive change across the state in this month’s Georgia Trend feature.
Photo of a barbeque competitor provided by the Sip & Swine BBQ Festival
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