Tractor Parade, Pig Fest set

It's time to mark those 2010 calendars for the annual Antique Tractor and Classic Car Parade followed by some great barbecue and homespun family fun at the Central Florida BBQ Festival at Firemen's Field from Jan. 8 - 9.

Admission is free and the Firemen invite guests to support their favorite cooking team and taste some of the south's most authentic barbecue.

Firemen's Field is located at the corner of Kenilworth Boulevard and the Sebring Parkway across for Sebring High School.

Tractor Parade

The event kicks off at noon with the annual Antique Tractor and Classic Car Parade, according to George White, the parade's organizer.

The event, sponsored by Budweiser, normally has about 30 to 40 entrants, said White.

The parade will begin on Oak Street and Lakeview Drive and will proceed to South Ridgewood Drive to Circle Drive, around the Circle to South Commerce and will end at the Highlands County Fair Grounds.

Pig Fest

The Pig Fest, as it is lovingly called, is a Florida Bar-B-Que Association sanctioned event.

"We will have about 40 teams this year," said Chris Dunn, chairman of the BBQ Festival and secretary of the Sebring Firemen Inc. "We have teams coming in from Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Florida, Central Florida and North Florida."

Having 25 teams or more qualified the entrants for the Jack Daniels Invitational and the Kansas City Royal events, according to the festival's flyer.

The teams will sign up for four mandatory categories: chicken, ribs, pork (shoulder/butt) and brisket in order to be eligible for the grand champion and reserve champion prizes.

The grand champion team will take home a $2,000 prize. The reserve champions will win $1,000.

"It's all blind judging," said Dunn, in a previous report. "They don't know whose food they're judging. They are in a separate building and the food is brought in to them."

There won't be any gas grills here. The rules state that only wood, charcoal or wood pellet cookers are allowed, and no team may share a cooker or grill with any other team.

There are also individual prizes starting at $500 for first place to $75 for fifth place in the four categories. However, these prize money figures were all based upon 25 teams participating.

There are other contests at $25 per entrant, for Home Boy (for local teams), ribs champion (Highlands County), anything but, chili, beer can chicken, and sauce.

The teams also compete at no charge for apple pie, people's choice and hog calling.

For people's choice, the teams are each given one Boston butt on Friday, which is picked up on Saturday morning. The public will taste and cast its vote for the best BBQ.

Beer and soft drink sales will be from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. until closing on Saturday.

There will also be funnel cake and ice cream vendors on the grounds.

Pig Bucks

Just as in recent festivals, teams may sell samples of their product in exchange for Pig Bucks. Only Pig Bucks can be used to purchase samples.

Pig Bucks can be purchased for an even exchange by visitors and will be available at several locations starting at 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

The teams will redeem the Pig Bucks for $ .80 cents on the dollar. Any exchange of U.S. currency for samples will result in that team forfeiting all prize money!

Rosaire's Royal Racers

The pig races are back this year, too, said Dunn.

Pick your favorite porker and watch the piggies with Rosaire's Royal Racers squeal around their outdoor track. However, sometimes they just waddle.

Races will be held on-the-hour, starting at 5 p.m. through 8 p.m. Friday, and will resume on Saturday at noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m., with the last race at 5 p.m.

Calling all hogs

From 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday those racing pigs will be locked up when the hog-calling contest is held at the judging stage in Pavilion B.

Entertainment with a "Blues" theme

There will be blues music played by disc jockey Jim Fortner from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, leading up to a live blues concert. Fortner is the entertainment chair for the Pig Fest.

The Sebring Firemen will present a blues concert with The Damon Fowler Group, Greg Poulos and Mike Kach, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, at the outdoor stage.

"We're real excited to get them in here," said Fortner on Thursday, adding the performers were all booked pretty solid.

"In the blues world (Damon Fowler) is a rising star. And Greg Poulos has been around for a long time; he played with Freddie King in the 1970s."

Mike Kach is a well-known keyboard player in the blues world.

"He recorded a CD with Dickie Betts (guitar player with the Allman Brothers) and Great Southern at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," he said.

The Rooter Rush Show is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, at the main stage.

At 11 a.m. Saturday, go to the Alan Homes Family tent where the apple pie judging contest will begin.

There will be an awards ceremony at 6 p.m. Saturday at the main stage where the winners will be announced, ending the event.

No dogs (excluding working dogs) are permitted on the grounds at any time.