The competition’s first-place honors went to Prestage Farms, with Mark Pearson, Tim Walters, and Michael Buchanan, shown left to right, representing the group effort.
Fall festivities overtake downtown
The competition’s first-place honors went to Prestage Farms, with Mark Pearson, Tim Walters, and Michael Buchanan, shown left to right, representing the group effort.
Lamanuel Boyking & Company played gospel music and welcomed pastor, and retired long-time Clinton City employee, Louise Royal, to sing from the soul as she had the crowd inspired and on their feet.
The entirety of Clinton’s downtown area was packed on Saturday. Even though it seemed the rain might come at times, families enjoyed time together, barbecue, and a seemingly neverending collection of various informational booths and pop-up shops,with 123 vendors having been registered.
From the decorations to the weather, the day certainly had a fall feeling to it.
Impactto Norteño, based out of Sampson County, played Northern-region Mexican Music that had the audience up and dancing.
The barbecue sundae was a novel hit with the Square Fair crowd, as the meat, beans, and slaw were able to all fit in one hand.
By the end of the fair, there wasn’t much barbecue left after the hard work of cooking pigs for the contest, which led to delicious options served by the 14 teams.
By the end of the fair, there wasn’t much barbecue left after the hard work of cooking pigs for the contest, which led to delicious options served by the 14 teams.
Lamanuel Boyking & Company played gospel music and welcomed pastor, and retired long-time Clinton City employee, Louise Royal, to sing from the soul as she had the crowd inspired and on their feet.
Funnel cakes were in huge demand and came straight out of the deep fryer.
Among the unique opportunites available about the square was ice cream made the old fashioned way.
The entirety of Clinton’s downtown area was packed on Saturday. Even though it seemed the rain might come at times, families enjoyed time together, barbecue, and a seemingly neverending collection of various informational booths and pop-up shops,with 123 vendors having been registered.
The lemonade couldn’t have been more fresh, with the lemon juice being squeezed out right in front of the customer at Rhett’s Concessions.
The entirety of Clinton’s downtown area was packed on Saturday. Even though it seemed the rain might come at times, families enjoyed time together, barbecue, and a seemingly neverending collection of various informational booths and pop-up shops,with 123 vendors having been registered.
Even Captain America made an appearance at the Square Fair, ready to pose for pictures and give out high fives to the kids downtown.
The Knights of Columbus, from Clinton, came in fourth place. From left to right, Sebastian Bereza , David Underwood, and Fran Leerkes. Not pictured is one of the cooks, Alberto Sada.
Salemburg Christian Food Bank (The Grateful Shed) took third place, with Chad Farmer on the left and Norman McPhail on the right.
Wilder’s Old Style BBQ out of Dudley, NC was the judges’ choice for second place. Lance Wilder, left, and James Wilder, right, accepted the award.
Despite some cloudy skies and occasional sprinkles, Saturday’s Square Fair lived up to its billing as a huge event, with Clinton’s entire downtown full of people ready to enjoy barbecue, vendors, music, and time with family and community.
The tents lining the entirety of downtown seemed never-ending, with the 123 registered vendors of different varieties complimenting the food available from the 14 teams who competed in the barbeque competition.
Leading up to the announcement of the barbecue cook-off winners, the main stage at Vance Street Park featured multiple groups performing different genres of music, with live performances showing the multiculturalism and talent found in Clinton.
The set list included energetic performances from Impactto Norteño playing the Northern-region Mexican genre of music, and gospel music from Lamanuel Boykin and Company, featuring Pastor Louise Royal. Both groups had the attention of the audience, with many being drawn forward to dance or praise near the stage.
Then, it was time to declare the results of the barbecue cook-off after teams had spent all night investing their time into preparing their very best. In the end, it was Prestage Farms whose team was thrilled to take home first place. They were followed by Wilders Old Style BBQ in second, Salemburg Christian Food Bank (The Grateful Shed) in third, and the Knights of Columbus in fourth.
Before and during the presentation of the awards, Mary Rose, Clinton Planning director and Main Street manager expressed extreme gratitude for the sponsors, volunteers, vendors, performers, barbecue teams, and every single person and entity involved with making the event a success.
The Ol’ Lightnin’ Rods show had to be postponed due to weather; it is being rescheduled for Oct. 28.