Pigs in the Parking Lot was one heck of a party
Thousands of area residents flocked to the 8th annual Pigs in the Parking Lot BBQ, Beer & Blues Festival May 12 in Apollo Beach. The event featured live blues music; lots of beer; freshly prepared barbecue dinners; concession food; kids’ area; and commercial and nonprofit vendors.
“The food is great, especially the BBQ at Off the Chain,” said Sally Nichols, of Sun City Center. “I also loved Doogie Dog’s corn on a stick.
“The music has been awesome,” she continued. “And I’ve enjoyed seeing lots of good friends.”
JP Soars and the Red Hots and the Damon Fowler entertained visitors throughout the six-hour festival, and the two bands jammed together to close out the festival from 9 to 10 p.m.
This year’s event was sponsored by Pepin Distributing, Waterset, Mosaic, EASY AC, AAA South and TD Bank.
Lois Kindle
Thousands of area residents thronged to the Southshore Chamber’s 8th annual Pigs in the Parking Lot BBQ, Beer & Blues Festival May 12 in Apollo Beach.
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Lisa Wheeler is all smiles as she holds two BBQ dinners prepared by Off the Chain at this year’s Pigs in the Parking Lot BBQ, Beer & Blues Festival. She reported the food was “delicious.”
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Standing with her mother, Niki, Berkley Hathorn, 5, shows off her face painting provided by Jumbo the Clown at the 2017 Pigs in the Parking Lot event. The two had just stopped dancing to the blues music of the Damon Fowler Band.
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Hungry visitors line up at one of the food vendors at the recent Pigs in the Parking Lot BBQ, Beer & Blues Festival.
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The children’s activities area at the family-friendly Pigs in the Parking Lot BBQ, Beer & Blues Festival was busy throughout the entire six-hour event.
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This clever carving was displayed by Off the Chain, one of the food vendors serving BBQ dinners during Pigs in the Parking Lot.
BBQ wasn’t the only food served at Pigs in the Parking Lot, as evidenced by the grill at C&J Specialty.
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Kelly Kowall, founder of My Warrior’s Place, poses for a photo at her booth during Pigs in the Parking Lot. My Warrior’s Place was among seven area nonprofit groups participating in the annual event.
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Savannah Swiebocki, 10, left, and Ginger Morrison, both of Riverview, showed their entrepreneurial spirit by setting up a booth that sold treats and toys for dogs. Part of the proceeds, they said, will go to the Critter Adoption and Rescue Effort (C.A.R.E.) no-kill animal shelter in Ruskin.
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Visitors check out some of the 20 or so business vendors that took part in the recent 8th annual Pigs in the Parking Lot BBQ, Beer & Blues Festival.
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Another clever sign reminds Pigs in the Parking Lot visitors what the event’s signature food is about.
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Food continued to be served even as other Pigs in the Parking Lot vendors shut down at 8 p.m. Beer and food were served until 10 p.m. while the music of the Damon Fowler Band cranked into high gear.
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