Sip & Swine BBQ Festival returns March 3-4

According to organizers, the 8th Annual Sip & Swine BBQ Festival is “on track to smoke previous years” with over 110 amateur and professional barbecue competition teams, 80 craft and 40 food vendors, live music and family-friendly activities 3 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 3 and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, March 4 at Coolray Field, 2500 Buford Drive in Lawrenceville.

The two-day Kansas City Barbecue Society-sanctioned event benefits Home of Hope at Gwinnett Children’s Shelter. Admission and parking are free, and 100% of the proceeds benefit Home of Hope, a local nonprofit devoted to the well-being of homeless children, their young mothers and teens aging out of the foster care system.

“2,000 kids in the Gwinnett County Public School System identify as homeless, and as access to affordable housing continues to decline, those numbers are expected to grow,” said Jim Lloyd, Home of Hope Board of Directors Chair, Sip & Swine organizer, and CEO of Lawrenceville-based InsuranceHub Leavitt Agency. “For those attendees who wish to impact Home of Hope directly, we encourage them to purchase a People’s Choice Taster Kit for just $12 each. They’ll get to sample from nine randomly selected competitors and share their personal pick for favorite – it’s good food for a good cause.”