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Virginia Chili, Blues n’ Brews Festival set for Saturday

Chris Graham

The Virginia Chili, Blues n’ Brews Festival will celebrate its 10th anniversary on Saturday in Downtown Waynesboro.

Virginia Chili, Blues n’ Brews FestivalStable Craft Brewing serves as the events presenting sponsor which will feature over 200-plus gallons of chili, local and mega brews and an amazing blues lineup including the Strothers Blues Experience, The Bush League, Sun Dried Opossum and headliner and founding member of North Mississippi Allstars, DuWayne Burnside.

“Bigger and better. That’s the only way to describe this year’s event,” said Terry Short Jr., the organizer of the Virginia Chili, Blues n’ Brews Festival, which is held on Lumos Plaza in Downtown Waynesboro. “We anticipate nearly 2,500 attendees this year, which makes our event the perfect opportunity for chili chefs to show off their skills.”

This year’s competition will feature the largest number of chili contestants going head to head in the festival’s history.

“The festival has always been about having a great time, and this year we’ve added many add-ons to make it the party of the year,” Short said. “From free pony-rides for kids between 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., adult stick horse races, food trucks, T-shirt cannons, magical guest appearances, and more, this will be the event of the year!”

Proceeds from the Virginia Chili, Blues n’ Brews Festival will continue to support an innovative early intervention literacy initiative in partnership with the Waynesboro Boys and Girls Club that has offered free tutoring for at-risk children in third and fourth grade for the past several years, along with numerous other civic, arts and cultural projects throughout the year.

The 2017 Virginia Chili, Blues and Brews Festival gates open at 2:30 p.m., chili sampling begins at 4 p.m., until it runs out. The festival continues until 9 p.m. Advance online tickets cost $10, and day-of tickets are just $15. Limited VIP seating remains, starting at just $35.

The Festival is sponsored by Stable Craft Brewing, Coors Light, Blue Ridge Beverage, Columbia Gas of Virginia, Lumos Networks, Sam’s Hot Dogs, Best Western Plus, Zeus Theatre, Wayne Theatre, Waynesboro Garden Center, and Sysco Foods.

For tickets visit: www.virginiachili.com

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham, the king of "fringe media," a zero-time Virginia Sportswriter of the Year, and a member of zero Halls of Fame, is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].