Lincoln’s Pigs & Swigs Festival planning is off to a great start
 

[May 23, 2015]  LINCOLN - Back in July of 2014, the Logan County Tourism Bureau announced the expansion of one of Logan County’s largest events. The idea of expanding the former Art & Balloon Festival came about when committee members realized there was no more room to grow. Volunteers were being stretched thin and unable to help at some events because they were already at another. The planning of the first of four events resulting from the former Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival’s expansion is underway.

The Logan County Tourism Bureau is coordinating the logistics of Lincoln’s Pigs & Swigs Festival while there are several other key players that make this event possible. The event will take place in Downtown Lincoln from Friday, June 5th through Sunday, June 7th, 2015. The three-day event will be comprised of several key components from the downtown portion of the former Art & Balloon Festival.

One of the many reasons for expanding the former Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival into several events was branding and marketing. “Being able to target a specific market or demographic for each event is going to ensure our advertising dollars go further”, said Cara Barr, Events Coordinator of the Logan County Alliance. “Branding each event is critically important in the marketing process”, says Barr. The Chamber went through this process in 2009 with the Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival when the permanent marketing logo was created for that event. In an attempt to create a brand for Lincoln’s Pigs & Swigs Festival, Barr contacted former Lincoln resident, Curtis Simpson, for his help in creating a logo to help start the branding process. Simpson was happy to help his hometown with this project.

This logo will be used to market the entire weekend of events.

The wildly popular Up In Smoke On the Square, a Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned BBQ cook-off event, is one component of Lincoln’s Pigs & Swigs Festival and will be held in downtown Lincoln on Friday, June 5th and Saturday, June 6th. The barbecue contest will bring close to 50 competitors from all over the country to our community to compete for a total purse of $15,000—taking our Central Illinois Festival to the national level. Barbecue, as well as other food, will also be available for purchase throughout the entire three-day event.

A new addition to our community is a craft beer event, organized by the Young Professionals Network of Logan County. The event will highlight local breweries, distilleries, and meaderies and will take place all weekend on the downtown square. The public is invited to sign up for a home brew competition, beer tasting, and paring lesson. Featuring local bands throughout the weekend, crowds will be entertained by live music. The Young Professionals Network is donating a portion of the proceeds of their event to the Land of Lincoln CEO, an entrepreneurial program for high school students, beginning in the fall of 2015.

The craft fair and flea market, hosted by the Oasis Senior Center for fifteen years, will be located at Scully Park in downtown Lincoln. There will be a variety of booths to browse for handmade crafts and treasures. The hours of the craft fair and flea market will be on Friday from 3pm to 6pm, Saturday from 10am to 5pm, and Sunday from 10am to 4pm.

The Car Cruise-In, sponsored by Railsplitter Antique Auto Club, is one of the longest standing components of this event. The Railsplitter Antique Auto Club was established in 1966 and has been hosting cruise-ins for fifteen years. Registration will be on Sunday, June 7th from 11am to 1pm and the car show will be held from 1pm to 4pm on Sunday. Twenty-five trophies will be awarded to participants at 4pm as well as $300 in cash prizes.

The public is invited to attend Lincoln’s Pigs & Swigs Festival on June 5th through June 7th, 2015. More information is available at www.lincolnillinois.com.  If you would like to volunteer, sponsor, or find out more information about the Lincoln’s Pigs & Swigs Festival weekend, please contact Cara Barr at [phone] or [e-mail].

The Logan County Tourism Bureau is a division of the Logan County Alliance. The Logan County Tourism Bureau is the official destination marketing organization of Logan County, accelerates sustainable economic growth and development by increasing visitor business.

[Andi Hake, Logan County Alliance/Logan County Tourism Bureau]