South Carolina Festival of Discovery 2026

[00:00:02] What you want, when you want it, where you want it. This is The MESH. Barbecue Summer is here! Whether you're at home or going to the beach, lake, mountains, or city, be sure to support your local barbecue businesses. From the butcher shops to the pitmasters in food trucks, pop-ups, and neighborhood joints, for dine-in or catering,

[00:00:28] Carolina Barbecue Festival reminds you to visit your locally owned businesses for barbecue summer. Visit carolinabbqfest.org for a list of local pitmasters that'll get you started. And while you're at carolinabbqfest.org, be sure to sign up and stay connected. You'll get all the latest details on upcoming events and coming soon, official dates for the 2027 Carolina Barbecue Festival.

[00:00:53] Until then, be sure to enjoy Barbecue Summer with your locally owned barbecue businesses. And our local barbecue summer, our local barbecue summer, continues as The Low & Slow Barbecue Show talks about Greenwood, South Carolina, home for 25 years to the South Carolina Festival of Discovery. And our guest today is Gibson Hill.

[00:01:21] Gibson, thank you so much for joining The Low & Slow Barbecue Show. Glad to be here. Thank you for having us. Yes, very excited to talk about the Festival of Discovery. But before we do that, I always like to ask our guests, explain and describe your ideal barbecue meal. What does Gibson order when you pull into a restaurant or your favorite joint for barbecue? Absolutely. So, good barbecue is definitely going to be pulled pork.

[00:01:50] It's a toss up between if I want mustard or barbecue based, but it's both have their place. Definitely the good mac and cheese. I think if someone, if someone brings out anything Velveeta related, call the police. You know, that's not, that's illegal. It's gotta be real mac and cheese, baked mac and cheese. It's baked beans and a good, and maybe a little bit of slaw. Not a huge slaw guy, but you know, here and there, it has its purpose. So, right. Red slaw, you have a preference there? What was that?

[00:02:19] Do you prefer any type of slaw? The red slaw? The white slaw? What is the slaw? White slaw. You know, it's gotta be Duke's mayonnaise here. Oh yeah, okay. Everything else, again, call the police if someone gets me Hellman's or Miracle Whip. A very strong opinion and one we can certainly agree with here. And a great barbecue meal for Gibson. Gibson, why don't you start out by telling us who you are and maybe a little bit about what you do in Greenwood, South Carolina. Absolutely.

[00:02:45] So, my name is Gibson Hill and I am the executive director of the Uptown Greenwood Development Corporation. And we are the host and long time owner of the South Carolina Festival of Discovery. It was founded in 2000. Should be 26 years, but took a year off for COVID. So, we are celebrating 25 years this year of barbecue and blues in South Carolina. I'm celebrating the rich history of the Carolina blues and barbecue. Wonderful.

[00:03:12] So, in 2026, tell us a little bit about what people can expect. Absolutely. So, it's really, it's become kind of a well-oiled machine. My predecessors have done a great job of carrying on the tradition. Really, when it was founded in an exception, it was to put Greenwood on the map and have an opportunity to showcase who we are and that rich tradition we have. And it started really small.

[00:03:37] We had six teams and now, a lesser known fact about Greenwood is that one time we had the widest main street in the world and it still is a U.S. highway. So, it's no small act that we do shut down our main street and establish a temporary campground with water and power. So, it's something now that we bring in 54,000 people each year to this event every three days.

[00:04:01] And it's famously hot and always looking at how we can raise that bar and continue to grow and develop as the last thing we want to do is grow stagnant. Right, right. And, wow, that's quite a great turnout. You know, tell me a little bit about how the barbecue and the blues came together when you were, when you guys, your predecessors were thinking about getting this launched. Absolutely.

[00:04:24] So, the blues, there's such a strong blues history here as well in the South, of course, you know, with the blues revolution. And then, Carolina hash is really kind of where this started as well. So, we are a KCBS competition that we do have the added hash component, but we only allow South Carolina judges to judge that piece. We have judges come from all over to judge the KCBS comp, but that hash piece is only allowed for South Carolina judges.

[00:04:52] And it's really showcasing how the arts and food blend together. And that's really been that both are equal partners and have a place together. Great. Now, maybe tell us as we get a little bit more into the history or let's keep it on this year on the front burner for a moment. What are some of the highlights coming for this year? What are can't miss events that people need to come out and be involved in? Absolutely. So, we are a qualifier for the Barbecue World Cup this year as well.

[00:05:21] So, our reserve and grand are qualifiers for that. So, that's new for this year. We've established a great partnership with the MBBQA as well and are going to be bringing an October live fire event to our comp as well to have something outside of that July timeframe. But really, it's three days kickoff of food you can't miss. We have over 93, 91 to 93, depending on if I'm able to squeeze a few more in last minute barbecue teams.

[00:05:50] 91 is our max, but we've got a waiting list. We have teams from all over the country that come. I have a map that kind of highlights where we've had teams come from. And people travel large and far to come to this each year. Our kids' queue is a huge draw as well each year. We're those, the kids, the next generation of these teams are competing as well. So, we're very interested in seeing what we have new for that each year.

[00:06:15] We have a new partnership this year with Springer Mountain Farms that they're sponsoring or anything goes competition. And we're going to be doing chicken wings this year. We previously have done a different type of anything goes competition, but looking forward to having that new ancillary competition this year. Oh. And of course, couldn't do this without a presenting sponsor, Caterpillar as well. So, bringing in those partners and celebrating how we're all able to do this together and how no one person does this is really the highlight of this festival as well.

[00:06:45] Sure. You mentioned a little bit about the infrastructure. You know, a major highway goes through town. Tell us a little bit about the scope of the festival when it comes to uptown Greenwood. What will people expect? And I know it's not just going to be, you know, barbecue chefs and blues music, right? Absolutely. So, there's kids' rides. Another lesser known fact and something we get asked all the time is, is there a gate fee? This is a completely free festival. The blues concerts are all free.

[00:07:12] There's over 100 concerts free throughout the weekend. Wow. And that runs through. We have a great Tasters Choice competition. That's one of my favorite pieces is we're able to buy those Tasters tickets and really kind of see who has the best and who does use the Velveeta mac and cheese and who doesn't. You know, that type of thing. But it's a huge draw and we do it to support our local economy as well.

[00:07:37] So, the festival does have an over $2.8 million economic impact each year to our local economy. And we're very big on using local vendors, local companies that support us as well. So, it's a huge trickle down effect into our economy and our hotel and hospitality industry. Wonderful. Do you feel like the shops in uptown Greenwood can benefit from it as well? I'm talking about those local businesses, not just folks coming out to taste the barbecue or hear the music.

[00:08:07] Absolutely. Our businesses are very creative. They're a great job of kind of captivating on the captive audience downtown. You know, a lot of times that's when they're doing trunk shows and things and bringing in vendors or bars and restaurants are full to the brim. And it's kind of what we like to see. It's exciting to see that we're able to kind of bring them this captive audience to help carry them throughout the drier months of business as well. Now, I know the event goes from Thursday till Sunday, right?

[00:08:36] Or Saturday night. Saturday night. Saturday night. The 9th through the 11th. Are there folks that come out and go for all three days? Are there people that come for one day or another? How does that audience makeup look? There are people. I actually know a couple and he takes his vacation week this week every year because he wants to be here the entire time. So, he comes on Thursday and is here every day and has a different meal every time. So, there's people that come every night.

[00:09:04] They just want to be in the activity and the ambiance. You know, it's hot, but it's famously hot. It's become our brand at this point. And that's something that people have come to know and expect. You know, we do. The two things we say are, you know, leave the pups at home because, again, with it being a main street in our US highway that we shut down a lot of asphalt. So, it's hot on those pups. And then, you know, the elderly or people susceptible to the heat.

[00:09:31] You know, we have a great EMS team, but we try to not need them. So, that's something. Right. So, I'm hearing some important instructions for the festival. Plan for the heat. Drink a lot of water. Yes. Wear some sunscreen, obviously, and find shade where you can. So, there's just some wonderful pointers there. Talk a little bit about how the music piece of it works. How do you guys identify some of the acts? How do you get them in? And maybe talk about some of the people who will be there this year.

[00:09:57] So, we actually, we have had a partnership with Shrimp City Slim, Gary Irwin out of Charleston, South Carolina. He's very well known and respected in the blues industry. Since day one, he's been with us since the first festival. And he is our talent director. And he books and programs the entirety of the blues crews. So, he does a great job of finding local talent from out in the southeast and the nation, actually. You know, they're well known. And he gets a great lineup each year.

[00:10:26] And so, it's always something we're excited to see what Gary releases throughout the festival. Right. And you mentioned there's venues all over town. I know there's, you know, there's a main street stage, but there's other venues as well. There are. So, we kind of rotate the acts throughout the main stage and the venue. So, if it's something that you, somebody you really want to see, but are looking for a little bit of air conditioning, chances are you're able to catch them in one of the local indoor venues as well. Wonderful.

[00:10:54] And I visited uptowngreenwood.com. Y'all guys have a great page there, South Carolina Festival of Discovery. And I can see the connection to the blues crews. I see the Kids' Cue competition. Obviously, the Kids' Zone is going to be a great thing for young people. Did I hear something also about a hot dog eating competition? I was wondering when you were going to bring that up. There is a hot dog eating competition. And I will be honest, I have lucked out and never actually witnessed that.

[00:11:21] From what I hear, it is quite the spectacle, but I'm always tied up that Saturday morning, when they're doing this competition is when the actual KCBS judging portion is going on as well. So, I'm always involved in running that portion. So, I always miss out on the hot dog eating comp. But word on the street is you can oftentimes find the participants in one of our local Porter Johns after. Oh, no. Oh, no.

[00:11:46] I have to each their own, but the hot dog eating comp is not my forte. Right. But it's a lot of people and there are cash prizes. And believe it or not, we did have to limit that. If you read the disclaimer, it's a lot of fun as well in the application. But we had to limit that to South Carolina residents only because we would have professional eaters come in trying to win this comp. Right. So, hot off the heels of the hot dog comp, Joey Chestnut. Yes.

[00:12:16] Can come from his show down to test it out in South Carolina. That's a good rule because otherwise this chigger might come out and try to test the hot dog eating competition. I don't know if you're familiar with the Dixie, but it's a Greenwood legend. And they're Dixie hot dogs and people put them down. So, come show us what you're made of. You know, back in the day, it was a fake idea to get into a bar. We'll get you a fake idea to get you in the hot dog eating comp. Oh, no. That's a good idea. Yeah.

[00:12:45] I feel like I know some people that could hook me up with the South Carolina identification. It looks close to this chigger. Okay. I want to talk a little bit more about the barbecue piece in just a moment. But first, let me just give our audience a quick word from our episode sponsor today. South Carolina's Old 96 District. It reminds you that barbecue and the blues are together again for South Carolina's Festival of Discovery, July 9th through the 11th. Join us in uptown Greenwood for the People's Choice Barbecue Competition.

[00:13:11] We've been talking about the hot dog eating competition, a kid's zone, and of course, three days of live blues music throughout Uptown Greenwood. Come to the South Carolina Festival of Discovery for the blues cruise, a Kansas City Barbecue Society Championship cook-off, and a week of fun in South Carolina's old 96 district. Follow South Carolina Festival of Discovery on Facebook and visit uptowngreenwood.com for all the latest festival details.

[00:13:38] Then meet us, Gibson Hill, Chigger, and all the grain in Greenwood July 9th through 11th in Uptown Greenwood, South Carolina. So, Gibson, let's talk a little bit about the barbecue competition. Maybe give us a few more details about the Kansas City Barbecue Society, how you guys got them involved, and what that competition involves for the competitors. And then we'll talk about the people. Absolutely. So, we've been a part of KCBS since day one. Okay.

[00:14:05] Actually, Carolyn Wells, if you're familiar with Barbecue World, co-founder of KCBS, comes to our comp every year to rep the competition. And we have reps and judges from all over. Quite frankly, it's kind of a dog-eat-dog each year with people wanting to get in. Sure. And it's something that I'm very cognizant and grateful of. The people that came before me have built this into that reputation. Right. But it's a huge deal.

[00:14:32] So, we give out over $25,000 in prizes, cash prizes for the comp. The Grand Champ is $3,000. And so, there's a lot of... I never knew quite how legit barbecue was until I got into this six years ago. I grew up... My dad's had every type of smoker you can think of. And he's a huge barbecue guy. So, I grew up around it, but obviously on a recreational aspect. Right. I didn't realize truly what a family barbecue was until I got into this. Because these people...

[00:15:01] The teams are traveling the circuit together every weekend. They're together. They're bringing their dogs in the camper. We have kids that are now in college that I got to see when they were in elementary school. Right. These are their family and they've become part... You know, we laugh with them when things are well. We keep up with them throughout the year. You know, are there... See each other. See their life accomplishments. The cancer diagnosis is unfortunately, you know... Yeah. They are there to see the ups and downs, the peaks and valleys.

[00:15:31] Yeah. It's truly a family. And to see everyone, the camaraderie, and to see... Especially at the awards ceremony, to see each other... To see them all cheer and champion for each other. It's something truly amazing to watch. Yeah. We're all barbecue family, right? And this is just the one branch in the festival of discovery. And you all have a great community of competitors there. How many people you mentioned? Yeah. 90, 93 competitors? 91 barbecue teams.

[00:15:57] And then we have about 25 what we call non-barbecue vendors as well. That's your funnel cakes. Your... What we call the people that put lemonade in a pineapple, you know. Yeah. But you can't come to a festival and not have a footlong corn dog. As I mentioned, you know, it's something that we're hot. And after 96 hours of barbecue, we want something a little different. And we've worked all day. And so my good friend and co-worker and I always joke that we have our footlong...

[00:16:26] She's in the office next door. I know I was about to laugh. But she and I have our corn dog in the shade every year at 11 PM. You know, we just... We need a break, you know. Right. Our corn dog is where it's at. That's a great way to take a break. Now, how do the general spectators experience the barbecue? Are there opportunities for them to get involved, taste the competition barbecue? Or is that limited to certain vendors too? So some of the teams are there strictly for the competition. Okay. And they're more segmented.

[00:16:55] But then others are vending as well and competing. And then some are competition only, but are part of the people's choice competition that takes place on Saturdays. And that's when the tasters are able to sample that and vote for that people's choice category. Right. So tell us a little more about the people's choice category. I know for every $5 you spend, you get five tickets and a vote for your favorite barbecue. Yeah. Tell us about what those samples entail. So they're big. You know, people...

[00:17:23] We have at our team meeting each year on Friday afternoon, we have to remind them that you cannot buy a vote. You cannot try to buy someone's vote based on their... based on the size of the portion. But they're generous portions and you can definitely get full and have a meal for $5. And so we joke that it's the best value in town. Is it all the same type of barbecue or is it a variety of things? Whatever. The teams are able to use their creative juices on that and their sample.

[00:17:53] And it's not just the barbecue. They're doing the full plate just on a small scale as well. So you're truly able to get a taste of everything they have. Now, what if I got $10 worth of tickets and 10 samples? Yeah. Because this chigger likes a barbecue. You're going to be able to... You may be in the similar state as the hot dog eating comp, but you can do whatever you want in Uptown Greenwood. Within limitation, of course. Within limitations.

[00:18:21] But I could have 10 different samples. Absolutely. You can buy as many as you'd like. Wonderful. So that sounds so cool. I can't wait to get to Greenwood and experience it. Tell us about the competition schedule right quick. Because I know those are all very, fairly regimented. What does that look like for the competitors? The official time clock that they travel with, that KCBS travels with. And we've had people that I've seen probably near divorce over that if what we call the food runner is too late.

[00:18:51] And that's something that's well, you know, it's very scientific and down to the second. So people are booking their space based on the proximity to the turn in. And if someone gets distracted talking and you miss turn in, that's when the divorce happens. I'm pretty sure. We've seen some altercations between couples there. And we're, but it's very segmented and it's, it's something that you just have to kind of experience to see that turn in and people are running.

[00:19:19] We have people on segues and hoverboards and they're, they're running to turn in to make sure they get it on time. And what day is this happening? Saturday. So that's Saturday morning each year. And so it's about a four hour process. Each turn in, each category has a different turn in time. And then we have quick turnaround with that. We actually bring in. So the festival discovery is a whole citywide event that all the staff has to participate in. We couldn't do it. One person couldn't do this.

[00:19:49] Everybody has their own. I actually bring in our court department, our judicial department for the data entry, because that's what they're, they're, they're all day, you know, making sure that data is accurate or else somebody goes to jail. So there, we use our top of the top data entry to make sure that these results are accurate. So it's, it's legit. So some way, the same people that are making sure nobody goes to jail on an error, the same people making sure no one scores an error. So it's, we bring you a little bit of peace of bond there.

[00:20:17] So you've got four hours of turn in over the morning time, Saturday, and then Saturday afternoon, the big award competition, a big award announcement. That after that is when it gets a little crazy with people leaving, you know, like I said, the detour, the detour is something that you, you can't ever imagine until you see it. Because like I said, it is a four lane highway, us highway. So getting that shut down takes a lot of time and a lot of precision, but there, there is a method to it.

[00:20:46] And seeing those teams come in those rigs, we down to the centimeter. We have a great team that makes sure that our excavators and different equipment are bringing the teams in close and flush that it's down to the centimeter. It's just about, we have it perfectly mapped out. So we, we get very friendly with the measuring wheel each year during that. We get tired of seeing that, that and a can of white spray paint can solve everybody's problems.

[00:21:11] All right. You're squeezing everybody and get taking advantage of every inch for a second before we get ready to wrap it up here. And I appreciate Gibson Hill sharing so much of his time here to talk about festival of discovery. When the people's choice awards are happening, is there a barbecue style that's more popular than another that you've seen over the past six years? It's, it seems to be that the champs know what they're doing.

[00:21:36] It's, it's really up to the spectator, you know, if you bring in a different audience, but it varies, but the, we Cherrywood does a great job of bringing it home every year that that team seems to be a long time winner of ours. So Cherrywood barbecue knows what they're doing. Excellent Cherrywood. So that's one stop. Anybody else you want to call out to make sure that we want to try to make. During that is when I'm, I'm doing the judging as well. So I've never gotten to take advantage of it, but when I look at my photographers photos each year, I'm thinking, I've got to do it.

[00:22:06] I've got to send somebody out to get me a plate at some point. Well, Gibson, you're involved in a lot of the aspects of it. You've done it for, you know, six years, as you said, now supporting Greenwood, South Carolina, obviously very passionate about it. What keeps your fire burning? Why do you keep doing this? I mean, outside the paycheck, of course. You know, I see the community and as I was mentioning the family aspect and seeing the impact it has on the community.

[00:22:32] The residents falling in love with where they live and their visit where visitors become tourists. You know, that's what we really want to see is people fall in love with the community, spending those dollars locally and seeing small businesses being supported. It's truly what keeps me going and seeing that the impact people have on loving where they live and loving it like a local.

[00:22:53] And that, my friends, is a final word on this episode of the Low and Slow BBQ Show from Gibson Hill with Festival of Discovery in the uptown Greenwood, South Carolina, July 9th through 11th. Gibson, thank you so much for joining the Low and Slow BBQ Show. Glad to be here. Thank you for having me. This local barbecue summer season is sponsored by the Carolina Barbecue Festival. Whether you head to the beach, the lake, the mountains or the city, be sure to visit your local barbecue businesses all summer long.

[00:23:20] Go to CarolinaBBQFest.org for a list of local pitmasters that will help you get started. And while you're there, sign up, stay connected. You'll be the first to know the dates for the 2027 Carolina Barbecue Festival. To our audience, thank you for listening to the Low and Slow BBQ Show. If you like what you hear, share our podcast with your food-loving friends and please subscribe and give us a five-star rating on your favorite stream. You can find more local barbecue people at our website, LowSlowBBQShow.com.

[00:23:48] We've got a library of podcasts, more than 100, and a lot of them have feature interviews with local pitmasters telling their story. Give them a listen and make plans to visit their business this summer. You'll find our blog at the website, and you can also sign up for our weekly newsletter, LowSlowBBQShow.com. The Low and Slow BBQ Show is proud to be part of the Mesh.TV network of podcasts. That's where Andrew Moose is the producer of our podcast and others on the Mesh network. I'm a big fan of Big Fan, the podcast with Chad and Hank.

[00:24:16] They talk about local sports, interests, adventures in the Carolinas, as well as some big life topics like summer, baseball, the World Cup. What's the deal with those Jeep Ducks? Find the big fan and all the other podcasts at TheMesh.TV. That's where you also find the Low and Slow BBQ Show, where I'm your host, Sugar Willard, reminding you that for the best barbecue and the best barbecue podcast, make it low and slow.

[00:24:39] You've been listening to The Mesh, an online media network of shows and programs ranging from business to arts, sports to entertainment, music to community. All programs are available on the website as well as through iTunes and YouTube. Check us out online at TheMesh.TV. Discover other network shows and give us feedback on what you just heard. To be continued...