By Christy Maready

Administrative Associate Pettigrew State Park

Come on out to Pettigrew State Park, located on beautiful Lake Phelps, on February 29 for a brand-new event! The park will be hosting BBQ in the Carolinas beginning at 10 a.m. Visitors can lean all about the story of BBQ in North Carolina through an interactive display at the park office, located at 2252 Lake Shore Rd, Creswell. How did BBQ originate? How are hogs cultivated and grown in North Carolina? What is the difference in sauces and condiments in Eastern NC vs. the Western part of the state? Find the answers to these questions and more within this traveling exhibit. Hayrides will be offered, weather permitting, to Somerset Place State Historic Site.

Somerset Place staff members will be offering mini tours of the Collin’s family smoke house, salt house and kitchen rations. These 30-minute tours will run on an hourly basis beginning at 11 a.m. and ending at 2 p.m. on that day. There is now a small suggested donation for all tours at Somerset Place. Please visit the visitor center, located inside the former owner’s compound, to begin a tour. Visitors can take the hayride over from the park office parking lot and disembark at Somerset Place for the tour. Please Call Somerset Place at 252-797-4560 for more information.

If all that BBQ history is making you hungry, The Lake Phelps Volunteer Fire Department has you covered! Beginning at 11 a.m. the fire department will be selling BBQ plates and BBQ by the pound behind the park office. Plates, on sale for $8 each, will include fresh cooked on-site BBQ, boiled BBQ potatoes, coleslaw, and hush puppies. Drinks and desserts sold separately. BBQ will also be sold for $8 a

pound with all proceeds benefitting the Lake Phelps Volunteer Fire Department. First come, first served and when it’s gone, it’s gone. Feel free to eat your BBQ in the picnic area, located only a few steps away.

This event is being brought to you by the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Come and help us celebrate this southern tradition in a family friendly environment! New to the area? Take Exit 558, Alligood Rd., off of Hwy 64. Follow the brown signs to Pettigrew State Park and Somerset Place State Historic Site. Follow your nose to the sweet smell of BBQ!