4th Annual Whole Hawg Happenin’ BBQ & Music Fest

4thAnnual Whole Hawg Happenin’ BBQ & Music Fest moves to THE MARIETTA SQUARE

Concerts by Banks and Shane and Hurricane Wilson to Benefit Local Charities!!!

MARIETTA, GA…It’s about that time again….hayrides, pumpkins, crafts….and BBQ! On Sunday, Sept. 30th, that is what BBQ lovers will enjoy…the tasty bites of some of Atlanta’s best BBQ restaurants serving up specialties such as whole hog, brisket, baby back ribs and of course…pulled pork! And, now festival-goers can enjoy these delights on the Marietta Square.

The Whole HawgHappenin BBQ & Music Fest is presented by Superior Plumbing and will be held Sunday, Sept. 30th, 2012 from 11 am–6 pm in Marietta, GA on the Marietta Square 

The “Whole Hawg BBQ & Music Fest began three years ago at Six Flags White Water in the front parking lot on Cobb Parkway. This year, the City of Marietta is sponsoring the festival and has made it an ‘official city sanctioned event’inviting the festival to take place on the Historic Marietta Square!

The Marietta Square will be transformed into a BBQ delight with such restaurants as Rib Ranch, Sam’s BBQ 1, Williamson Bros, Dave Poe’s and many more! Attendees will also find the Budweiser Beer Garden, BBQ Alley, a food court area complete with strolling entertainment, fantastic BBQ cooking demonstrations and much more. Restaurants will be selling samplings of their food to the festival goers. 

Twenty barbecue restaurants and BBQ caterers will be selling samples of their favorite dishes while renowned local chefs will ‘wow’ on stage with their cooking demonstrations. Admission is FREE! Parking is FREE!

New this year is a BBQ Contest. So, BBQ teams are encouraged to log ontowww.wholehawgbbqfest.com  to be a part of the contest. There will be judging and prize money awarded.

Meanwhile, blues and other musical entertainment options abound on the two entertainment stages with Men in Blues, Hurricane Wilson, Hoosier Daddy, Banks and Shane and many more scheduled performers. 

In addition to the BBQ restaurants, this family friendly celebration will host a Kids Corner, and Sports Zone with the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Hawks. There will be a Classic Cruise in Car Show on display, along with arts and crafts and the BBQ competition area.

But, Whole Hawg Happenin is NOT just for BBQ restaurants….any restaurant can participate and serve their ownspecialty BBQ dish. Of course, we will also have our mainstay BBQ restaurant giants that participate each year selling samples of their tastiest pulled pork, brisket, ribs and much more to satisfy attendees. 

“We are excited that we are moving to the Marietta Square with this event”, states Jamie Vann. Vann, who along with Sam Kelly, were board members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cobb County when the idea came to Jamie one night to have a BBQ festival. He brought it to Sam at the Boys & Girls Clubs and mentioned it would be a good idea for the Boys & Girls Clubs to use. This was in 2008. Sam called Maryclaire Andres, who has been coordinating events in Cobb County for over 15 years, and asked her to join in on this idea,” states Vann. “The next thing we know, this idea had become a huge BBQ festival and the whole community became involved.  It has been amazing to see how it has all transformed from a basic idea to what it is today!

Whole Hawg Happenin BBQ & Music Fest is unique in the BBQ festival arena because festival goers can stroll down BBQ Alley and buy “Tastes” of BBQ from the best BBQ restaurants in the area. As a rule, most BBQ festivals are mainly competition and the food sales are limited regarding what the public can purchase and eat. 

“Whole Hawg BBQ & Music Fest appeals to all different kinds of people because of the tasting aspect” states Maryclaire Andres, of Promo Photo, Festival Coordinator.  “This is an event, in many aspects, similar to how we do it with Taste of Marietta with the Marietta Visitor’s Bureau each April. The restaurants sell their samples to the public and everyone gets to enjoy it!

And now, this year, the festival producers have added the competition aspect as well. “We had always planned on eventually adding BBQ competitions to the festival. We just wanted to iron out the kinks of producing a new event for the first few years before we took on the competition aspect. Now that the Whole Hawg Happenin is established, we are ready to take on some new areas to grow this event even more,” states Andres. “The goal of the Whole Hawg Happenin’ this year… was to bring this BBQ Festival to downtown Marietta. Our goal for 2013 is to become Kansas City sanctioned and increase the competition for BBQ teams… while also focusing on the different restaurants selling samples to the public.”