VIPSEEN@Downtown Kingsport
Racks by the Tracks
Ribs, Beer Tasting & Blues Festival The 5th Annual Racks by the Tracks Ribs, Beer Tasting, and Blues Festival was held on Saturday, May 19 in downtown Kingsport. The festival hosted well over 8,500 attendees from across the region and beyond. Organized by Kanishka Biddanda and James Phillips, this extremely popular community festival features an appetizing barbecue competition featuring the best barbecue restaurants and teams from across the Tri-Cities, an all-day-and-night concert free to the public, and the region’s original and longest-running craft beer tasting event. The Hog Whisperers took home two out of the four BBQ competition awards; best team or individual and best ribs in the Tri-Cities. Braeden’s Barbeque took the award for best sauce, while Phil’s Dreampit rounded out the competition with the best restaurant award. Over 30 craft beers were available for tasting with some of the brewery highlights being; New Belgium Brewing from Colorado, Sapporo Brewing Company from Japan, RJ Rockers out of South Carolina, Duck Rabbit from North Carolina, South Carolina’s Thomas Creek, and local favorites Wolf Hills from Abingdon and Depot Street based in Jonesborough. Proceeds from the festival go to benefit several local nonprofits including Sullivan County Humane Society, Relay for Life, Keep Kingsport Beautiful, Downtown Kingsport Association, and the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce. Racks by the Tracks Festival sponsors included Food City, Pepsi, Samuel Adams, Libation Station, Cumulus Broadcasting, WKPT-TV, 11 Connects, GoTricities, On The Rocks, VIPSEEN, and Eastman Credit Union. For more information, visit www.RacksByTheTracks.com.
Photography by: Brian Hullette |
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