The weather has finally changed here and it feels like fall! We enjoyed the cool temperatures and sunshine this weekend by exploring some local events.
Bikes, Blues, and BBQ is an annual event in Fayetteville that welcomes over 100,000 motorcycles to the area - whew! We decided to partake in the festivities by attending the BBQ cookoff at the fairgrounds on Friday. For $6 each, we were handed a paper bowl and utensils and set off to try some meat. We tasted several smoked chicken selections, bbq beans, a little pork, and one bite of some yummy sausage.....and saw plenty of bikes and the interesting folks that ride them. We unfortunately spent as much time in line at each station as we did eating (they sold 3500 tickets for the tasting!) and didn't get to try them all before they ran out, but overall it was still an interesting and tasty experience. My vote for the "people's choice" award went to the folks who had this cool fire truck turned smoker (and gave me some sausage!).
Today we went to the Arkansas Apple Festival held in Lincoln, AR - a small agricultural town about 30 minutes southwest of Fayetteville. Apparently, Lincoln historically had a lot of orchards and in the early 1900s apples were a major export. To honor this history, the town started the apple festival 35 years ago. Unfortunately, most of the trees were already gone due to disease, insects, and poor varieties and they don't actually grow many apples anymore. (You can find the longer history of apples in NWA here ). The small town still has the annual festival but it has turned into more of an arts and crafts show than a celebration of the fruit of fall. To honor the roots of the festival they did, however, have free apple cider samples and a sliced apple for all attendees - too bad the apples were from Missouri....
So, not quite the apple festival experience I was expecting, but still a nice way to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon. We did also get some kettle corn and stopped at a local store to pickup some delicious apple cider on the way home! We also saw some pretty cool old tractors, a nut roaster in action, and the coolest apple slicer ever.....
Lots of arts and crafts booths at the Arkansas Apple Festival...
Old timey nut roaster in action - smelled delicious!
Broom making
Tractor show!
Tractor break light
Notice the old pharmacy in the background - still a viable business in Lincoln
1958 Massey Ferguson
Free sliced apples! I tried to get a better shot, but was holding up the line and you know how people get when they want their apples...
I have changed my mind. I think the best thing you can do to further the local foods movement in the Fayetteville region, all of Arkansas, really, is to look for another firetruck to convert. "Making your own opportunities" = The New Normal.
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