Not every food and merchandise vendor at the Chattanooga Bacon Festival will serve up bacon or other porcine products this weekend, but if you want bacon-wrapped hot dogs, bacon-topped fudge or a picture of a pig on a T-shirt, they've got you covered.
In a phone interview, promoter Shannon Wright of Touch the Sky Events said the 30 to 35 food vendors among the 150 merchandisers scheduled to set up shop at the Camp Jordan amphitheater in East Ridge will try to incorporate bacon in at least one offering, but only if they sell multiple products.
"The guy only selling lemonade, he's not going to have bacon-flavored lemonade," she said.
The two-day bacon commendation is one of seven festivals happening or starting in the Chattanooga area this weekend. Here's a rundown.
— Birchwood Fiber Festival is this weekend at the Birchwood Community Center, 5623 Highway 60. Workshops, vendors and demonstrations will explore the evolution of traditional fiber art 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Food vendors will be on-site. birchwoodfiberfestival.com
— Chattanooga Bacon Festival, with more than 150 craft, commercial and food vendors, will be set up 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, rain or shine, at Camp Jordan, 323 Camp Jordan Parkway, East Ridge. The festival also includes live entertainment, trackless train rides, inflatables, petting zoo and pony rides. Admission is free. touchtheskyevents.com
(READ MORE: Wake up and smell the bacon ... with a bacon app)
— Red Bank Jubilee is 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at Red Bank City Park, 3817 Redding Road. The community celebration is marking its 42nd year with music by local buskers and Mountain Cove Bluegrass Band, arts, crafts and food vendors, a beer garden, pickleball tournament and children's activities. Admission is free. The MoonPie Move runs start the day at 8 a.m. Registration fees are $45 for the 5K, $50 for the 10K. facebook.com/redbanktn
— Southern Blooms Festival, showcasing the 400-plus varieties of native plants at Rock City Gardens, 1400 Patten Road, Lookout Mountain, Ga., takes place the next two weekends. Self-guided tours lead through the flora, and special programming, including children's art projects, plants for sale and specialty foods, are scheduled 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and May 13-14. Admission is $20-$30. There's an optional Mother's Day lunch on the final day. seerockcity.com/southernblooms
— Tennessee Strawberry Festival kicks off this weekend with a pickleball tournament in downtown Dayton, Tenn. Monday is Kids Night at Centennial Park, 391 Second Ave. Twenty-five organizations will sponsor activities, including balloon animals, a selfie booth, face painting and cornhole. Most are free. The carnival opens at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Washington Park, 200 Washington St. Activities continue throughout the week, leading up to the parade May 13. tnstrawberryfestival.com
— Walker County Spring Market, featuring food, music, shopping and other activities, is 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at the Walker County Civic Center, 10052 Highway 27, Rock Spring, Ga. mysunshineevents.com
(READ MORE: New farmers market coming to downtown LaFayette)
— Woodland Fairy Craft Festival, featuring crafts, vendors, music and food, is 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at Point Park, 230 Chickamauga Drive, Dayton, Tenn. Costumes are welcome. facebook.com/WdFairyCrftFest
Find more events, and add your own, at timesfreepress.com/cnevents.
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.
Staff Photo by Matt Hamilton / Chattanooga resident Chrystal Parker of Crystalline Entertainment spins hoops with children during the Red Bank Jubilee in 2022.