Wood, Fire, Smoke Festival coming to downtown Lenoir

News-Topic, Lenoir, N.C.
·2 min read

Sep. 27—LENOIR — If you like barbecue, artisan crafts, steel creations, and fall weather, you're going to love the Wood, Fire, Smoke Festival in downtown Lenoir.

The Wood, Fire, Smoke Festival is happening from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8 in the lots between Hog Waller Stage and the Golden Cardinal Gallery (old William's Produce building) in downtown Lenoir. Church Street and Boundary Street will be closed to vehicle traffic.

The reimagined festival is a celebration of Lenoir's furniture heritage and commitment to art, design, and innovation. Skilled craftsmen, artisans, and chefs will converge in downtown to carve with chainsaws, pour molten metal, and cook delicious barbecue.

"This is a transitional year for us, moving from a barbecue competition to an artisan and demonstration festival," said Matthew Anthony, Main Street and Community Engagement coordinator for the city. "Our team has worked hard to bring in top quality craftsmen from around Western North Carolina to entangle your senses in the raw elements of wood, fire, and smoke."

In addition to 60-plus arts, crafts, food, and barbecue vendors, the festival will feature live music and several spectacle events throughout the day.

There will be live chainsaw carving from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., live metal forging by The Metaled Company from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., and live iron pouring by WNC Sculpture Center from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Local bands and musicians will play music throughout the day. FraXured will take the Hog Waller Stage from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Darren Bryant will play from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Alex Key will finish out the day from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

"Our hope is that people hang around the festival and downtown Lenoir for much of the day to enjoy all we have planned," Anthony said. "We have a packed day full of music, events, prizes, live artisan events, and of course, barbecue."

After the festival, there will be a ticketed barbecue and bourbon-themed fundraiser dinner for the Downtown Lenoir Development Alliance, the non-profit arm of Downtown Lenoir Main Street. 4440 Ranch & Cattle Co. is providing and cooking the meat, Southern Comfort Catering will deliver the food, and Sycamore Bones will play live for the event.

"The dinner will be a lot of fun," Anthony said. "Diners will enjoy some delicious local barbecue, good drinks, and they'll get a couple gifts for helping support the Downtown Lenoir Development Alliance."

Visit https://www.eventeny.com/events/ticket/?id=3235&action=ticket&action_ticket=4131 to order tickets for the barbecue dinner fundraiser.

Find out more about the Wood, Fire, Smoke Festival at www.wfsfestival.com.