LYNCHBURG — You’re headed to a barbecue festival with images of sweet, tangy southern barbecue on your mind. But locals know that the contestants competing for The Jack this weekend don’t serve anything to the public. Sure, after judging is over, some may choose to hand out free samples, but festivalgoers can’t purchase barbecue from them.

But don’t worry. There are still some excellent ways to indulge your tastebuds this weekend. Here are our favorite ways to eat your way through this Saturday:

1 | The Miss Mary Bobo’s Food Truck – You already know that Miss Mary Bobo’s Restaurant in Lynchburg sits at the intersection of southern hospitality and down home, made-from-scratch cooking. But did you know they have a food truck? It only comes out a couple of times a year and gives both locals and visitors alike an opportunity to sample their mouth-watering food on the go. They’ll open on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will serve fried chicken, green beans, those famous Jack Daniels’ candied apples, mac and cheese, and fudge pie with a little local product in it. A meat and two sides will be $13.95 and a meat and three for $15.95. Just look for them between Miss Mary Bobo’s Restaurant and the County Building as you head into the Wiseman Park.

2 | SCA Ribeye Sandwich Booth – There’s another budding event happening each July that might soon rival The Jack, and that’s the SCA Steak Cookoff that takes place during Frontier Days. It doubled in participation from 2023 to 2024, and it threatens to double again in 2025. During The Jack, local competitive barbecue team and award-winning SCA chefs, Barking Pig BBQ, will partner with the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce for a SCA Ribeye Steak Sandwich Booth. They’ll start serving at 9:30 a.m. until they are sold out, which will happen quick. Look for them on the Lynchburg Square.

3 | The Historic Society’s Pie & Cake Auction – The folks here in Lynchburg are famous for their baking ability. That fact will be proudly on display for all to see during the Moore County Historical Society’s now world-famous Pie & Cake Auction. It’s not unheard of for a single chess pie to go for hundreds of dollars and a little birdie tells us that there might be some Nancy Primus cookies available. If you know, you know. It will happen at 3 p.m. at the Duraflame Stage in Wiseman Park.

4 | The Tasing Village – People attend the world-famous Jack Daniel’s Barbecue each year looking to experience the art of southern food. This year, organizers added a Tasting Village where there will be live, open flame cooking demos from folks like The Steak Princess. The Beached PIG will also do a whole hog demo at 12 p.m. and the Tennessee Meat Co. will showcase exotic meats like elk, bison, and alligator at 1 p.m. There will be free samples.

5 | Food Truck Friday – As we’re already mentioned, the Barbecue contestants don’t sell barbecue but dozens of area food truck will flock into Lynchburg serving just about everything else one can image. Around 20 food trucks agreed to stay open late on Friday to serve locals serving all manner of things like waffledogs, pizza, roasted corn, hoagies, burgers, and , of course, barbecue. Look for them in Wiseman Park beginning at 3 p.m.

For a complete schedule, parking information, a list of competitors, and more information, click here.•

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