Festival of Discovery To Begin Thursday
July 5, 2011
By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal
Greenwood, SC - In just two days Uptown Greenwood will be filled with the aroma of barbecue and the unmistakable sound of the blues.
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The 11th Annual South Carolina Festival of Discovery will be Thursday through Saturday in Uptown. About 80 barbecue teams from across the United States are set to be in attendance for the S.C. State Championship and Kansas City Barbeque Society sanctioned event.
The festival also will feature the Index-Journal-sponsored Blues Cruise, with blues musicians from across the region and nation performing in Uptown throughout the weekend, on the CenturyLink main stage and in venues including Uptown Sushi, T.W. Boons, Howard’s On Main, Mill House, Polo’s, R3 Catering and Stokie’s.
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The annual barbecue party officially kicks off at 5:30 p.m. Thursday with a concert performance by the Nouveaux Honkies at Countybank Plaza in Uptown.
For a complete schedule of events, visit www.uptowngreenwood.com/Events_FestivalofDiscovery_Schedule.aspx.
Last year the Festival of Discovery brought more than 20,000 people into the city center. Uptown Greenwood manager Angie Jones said she is anticipating another lively event.
“I’m looking forward to another great event,” Jones said. “With the addition of the Kingsford (Points Chase) and the Reser’s (Potato Salad Contest), I think that will just add a different element for this year.”
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The Kingsford Points Chase is a contest that includes 25 barbecue competitions, including the Festival of Discovery. The barbecue team with the most points at the end of the year-long contest will take home $25,000.
The Reser’s American Classics Summer Series is a potato salad contest that will be incorporated into the festival. There is $1,100 on the line, with the winning team getting $700, second place team getting $300 and the third place team taking home $100.
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The potato salad contest is only open to teams participating in the Festival of Discovery.
City manager Charlie Barrineau said the annual July barbecue bash is something he looks forward to all year long.
“Without a doubt, it’s my favorite week of the year,” Barrineau said. “It’s amazing how much the event has grown over the past 11 years. You travel across the south and you start running into people who say ‘Hey, y’all have that big barbecue festival.’ It’s kind of neat that Greenwood is now on the map for barbecue and blues.”
Barrineau added he continues to be amazed at the popularity of the annual hot dog eating contest that is part of the festival. This year’s hot dog contest will be at noon Saturday in Uptown.
Mayor Welborn Adams said Greenwood is more than willing to roll out the welcome mat for those coming into town for the festival. He also said he is pleased to see the Reser’s potato salad event has been added to the mix.
“I think this might be our best festival ever,” Adams said. “I’m really excited about the potato salad sponsorship. I think that will add a little bit of an element we haven't had before, to have Reser’s sponsor that. I think that will be a nice little element. ... I just think (the festival) is going to be unbelievable. I’m expecting record numbers. It’s going to be fantastic.”
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