Chester County BBQ Festival cancelled, replaced by drive-thru rib sale

HENDERSON, Tenn. — For the first time in more than 40 years, the Chester County Barbecue Festival is cancelled.

“For the safety of the community and with the CDC guidelines, we’re so sad that we were just not able to have the festival this year,” said Channing Carroll, membership and events coordinator for the Henderson-Chester County Chamber.

Carroll says due to COVID, they’ve had to cancel multiple events this year, but says they hope next year they’ll be able to celebrate the festival’s 44th year.

“We have anywhere from ten to twelve thousand people that come through the festival,” Carroll said.

However, the pandemic is not stopping the Chester County Chamber of Commerce completely. To keep the spirit of the festival, they’ll still be delivering BBQ to Chester County residents.

“We are going to have a rib sale on Friday, October the 30th,” Carroll said. “It’s cooked by the guys that cook the ribs at the barbeque festival, so we’re really excited about that.”

The rib sale will be a drive-thru event, with residents able to order their ribs without ever leaving their car.

Carroll says she hopes residents come out to get the same great tasting barbecue, just in a different way.

For more information on the rib sale, click here.