LEXINGTON, N.C. — The 39TH Annual Lexington Barbeque Festival is officially in the rear view mirror.
Thousands descended onto Uptown Lexington today for food and entertainment.
It all starts with the "Q," after all the event is known as the Barbecue Festival, after all.
The annual event is held every fall in uptown Lexington and draws people from all over the Triad.
"Giving back to the city and you get a new people to come to your city and that's what it's all about," said Roy Dunn owner of Speedy's Barbeque.
Speedy's was one of four iconic Triad restaurants serving up up more than 2,000 pounds of chopped pork barbeque.
"Most people love it. You know, it's all supposed to be good, no matter where you're from away or eating from," said Dunn.
The first Barbeque Festival in 1984 drew 30,000 people.
39 years later, as many as 200,000 people attend the festival.
They're not only here for the food, there are multiple entertainment stages and dozens of vendors putting their name and products front and center.
"We get a lot of business that comes in, all these out of towners trying to support our little local businesses, it's fabulous, we love doing the festival every year," said Wende Everhart owner of Sinfully Delishous Bakery in Uptown Lexington.
Everhart says events like the Barbeque Festival can make a huge difference for local businesses.
"Some of these people get through six months of the year from festivals like this so every time we get somebody to come in and shop local, it's the best thing ever," said Everhart.
Locals like Mo Yarboro, are grateful others are coming to town, learning what Lexington is all about.
Not just for the barbecue but for the many local businesses that call uptown home.
"We hope that all of our favorite shops, this is the biggest day of the year, that they can really have a big impact on their bottom line for the month, and maybe even give them a good boost, going into the winter. Because, winters in this town can be a little bit slower, so I know that this is a good leaving-off point for a lot of the local businesses," said Yarboro.
From the food to the shopping, dancing and even parking, the Barbeque Festival generates about $9 million for the local economy each October.