This past June, during the first Saturday weekend, marked yet another wonderful year of entertainment featuring live band music, crafts, carnival style rides and games, a beer garden adjacent to the stage and a smorgasbord of festival eats and treats here in Altavista, Virginia. The Uncle Billy’s Day Festival has been a part of our community for around 65 years and is growing bigger and stronger by the year. I remember attending this event from early childhood, now I bring my girls, who really enjoy the pageantry of the fireworks, which happen on evening two of the 2 day celebration!
When I was younger, I was all about the congregation of people including my schoolmates, the games and the rides, pizza, candy apples and funnel cake being the fuel of choice. As I became older, I began to appreciate the beauty of the crafts, car shows, music and beer garden LOL, opting for the food fanfare with an edge like the warm and delicious Gyros, the lamb juicy and tender, the Greek Yogurt smooth and creamy, the shredded lettuce and tomato crisp, Smoked Turkey Drumsticks, the size of a small dog’s leg, slow cooked to smoky perfection, eaten in a relatively cave man fashion by tearing it easily from bone as you stroll the grounds, Hand-cut potato chips, salted just so, hot from the oil, Fragrant Smoked Sausages and Cheese Steaks, billowing over with grilled peppers and onions,and various types of Asian cuisine, like the hearty portion of marinated and grilled Thai Chicken (above) and beef, grilled with just the right amount of caramelization and teeming with exotic flavors, the perfectly cooked noodles, loaded with a barrage of tender-crisp carrots, broccoli, cabbage, peas and corn, with what I would consider a savory potato, veggie and curry infused Puff with a unique sweetness from Faang Thai Restaurant and Bar, based out of Warrenton VA, meats- on -sticks-Yes! and much more! The smells wafting through the food court is intoxicating, a possible Achilles heel to wayward dieters, but a welcome ‘Foodapalooza’ for die- hard foodies like myself. The experience is worth the travel and something to talk about, as you can see I just can’t shut up about it. Definitely something to pencil in to kick off your next year’s summer, hope to see you there!
Me and a fellow festival goer in one of his Uncle Billy's Day ensembles!
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