Wine & Jazz now Charlie West Music Fest
- Steven Keith
- 17 hours ago
- 3 min read
Food, drinks and tunes return to the University of Charleston lawn this Saturday.
After 25 years of presenting the Wine & Jazz Festival on the banks of the Kanawha River, Fund for the Arts has rebranded the event as the Charlie West Music Fest, which will still offer plenty of music, food and drinks on the University of Charleston lawn from 3-10 p.m. this coming Saturday.
At a time when crucial funding sources for many nonprofits are shrinking – or in some case, disappearing completely – organizers say the success of this event supporting 11 small area arts organizations is as important as ever.
As a result, they’ve added a new incentive this year to encourage folks to arrive early to get the party started.
All beer, wine and other adult beverages will be available at a special “happy hour” price of $5 each from 2:30-4:30 p.m. that day.
Local beers on tap will include four each from Bad Shepherd Brewery and Charleston Nano Brewery, both in Charleston, along with other West Virginia offerings from Big Timber, Freefolk, Parkersburg and Greenbrier Valley brewing companies. A host of domestic beers, hard seltzers, spiked slushies, red and white wines, plus a non-alcoholic Corona round out the drink options.
Several food trucks and vendors will also be on hand to satisfy your hunger, including BBQ offerings from Dem 2 Brothers & A Grill; chicken and steak street tacos from BG’z LA Street Taco; smoked beef, pork and turkey from Gil’s Pit Beef; chicken or steak hoagies, pulled pork or brisket tacos from Big Marv’s; plant-based hot dogs and wraps from Mountain Juice WV; and Italian ice from Scooby’s Icy Treats and Just Drinks.
Admission to the event is $35, which includes six hours of music offered by the Bob Thompson Unit, Joslyn and The Sweet Compression, Of Good Nature and Shwayze, who has had a top 10 album and chart-topping singles like “Corona and Lime” and “Buzzin.” (Food and drinks cost extra.)
Gates open at 2:30 p.m. and performances start at 3 p.m. For more information or tickets, visit the Charlie West Music Fest event page on www.Facebook.com/FFAWV.
State BBQ championships in Buckhannon
Ready for some tangy, toothsome and mouthwatering ribs, brisket, chicken and pork?
Mounds and pounds of more smoked meats and treats from some of the top-rated teams in the country await at the 10th annual Almost Heaven BBQ Bash June 12-14 at Jawbone Park in Buckhannon.
Not only is this West Virginia’s largest BBQ competition, but the notable showdown also serves as the West Virginia State BBQ Championship as sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society.
And just how big are we talking here? Nearly 50 teams from 16 states are expected to compete in a four-meat battle to determine this year’s winners.
Other food vendors will set up at the event offering everything from kettle corn, pizza, pepperoni rolls, calzones, Italian sausages, hoagies, specialty tacos, cornbread, smoked mac ‘n’ cheese and collard greens to donuts, funnel cakes, ice cream and darn near anything deep-fried.
There will also be live music, family activities, games, giveaways, artisans and more, plus a handful of restaurants, bars, shops and galleries just a short stroll away.
Voted one of the top 25 BBQ events in the country by Travelocity, the Almost Heaven BBQ Bash offers free admission and parking throughout the weekend.
For more information, visit www.almostheavenbbqbash.com
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Steven Keith is a food writer and restaurant critic known as “The Food Guy” who writes a weekly column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and has appeared in several state, regional and national culinary publications. Follow him online at www.wvfoodguy.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or at wvfoodguy@aol.com.