Pork in the Park, an Eastern Shore staple, will return to Salisbury’s WinterPlace Park on Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25. Sponsored by Gateway Subaru, the two-day event offers live music, attractions, craft vendors, delicious food and cold beverages. Admission is $3 for adults and children twelve and under are admitted free.
This year’s festival introduces several new, family-friendly attractions. Amusements feature the Rommel’s Ace Inflatable Park, which offers an Unlimited Bounce Area for kids under 18. Youth can enjoy unlimited access to over a dozen bounces, slides and obstacles all day for only $10. Individual tickets can also be purchased. Specialty Inflatables like sumo wrestling, twister and jousting are also available for youth and adults on a ticketed basis. (Inflatables are subject to change based on availability.) The Inflatable Park and Specialty Inflatables will be open until 8 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.
On Saturday, families can spend the day in the Kids Zone, which is free to festival attendees. Featuring a free bounce house for toddlers, free face painting, free balloon animals and performances from Sunshine the Clown, The J.J. Show, Hula Hoop with Katie Cook and Carlos the Juggler, the Kids Zone’s entertainment line-up runs from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Times are limited for each event, so please visit www.PorkinthePark.org for a complete Kids Zone schedule.
In addition to the many youth activities, Pork in the Park features plenty of adult offerings as well. The People’s Choice Wing Competition, sponsored by Allen Harim Foods, returns on Saturday from 12 – 3 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample the best wings local restaurants have to offer in this March Madness bracket-style competition. Brackets are $10 and include 20 wing tasting tickets. Saturday also marks the return of the festival’s 5th Annual Cornhole Tournament, where teams of two will battle for $500 in cash prizes and bragging rights. Registration is currently open for the tournament.
Throughout the festival, live music will be featured on the main stage. Front Page News headlines Friday night, while Such Fools will close out the festival on Saturday. In between sets, pig and ‘hot dog’ races will amuse attendees as they snort, squeal and bark around the track. Staying true to its name, Pork in the Park will continue to spotlight a variety of barbeque vendors. This year’s line-up includes Always Smokin Food Vendors, Hess BBQ, Kloby’s Smokehouse, Smoke Shack, The Crabby Hog, Whatchu Cooking Willis, The High Spot and Warhorse Smokers BBQ.
The festival is open Friday, April 24 from 4 – 10 p.m. and Saturday, April 25 from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. Free shuttle service is available from the Tri-County Council Building off Route 50 (31901 Tri-County Way, Salisbury). The shuttle runs all hours of the event and for a half hour after closing. For more information, visit www.PorkinthePark.org.
