HOT LINK

FESTIVAL returns to downtown Pittsburg April 29

The event, which started in 2019, celebrates Pittsburg’s unique distinction as the Hot Link Capital of Texas. The festival will feature cooking competition categories such as hot links (of course), sausage, chicken, side dishes, cultural cuisine and desserts. Festival goers purchase food-tasting tickets to sample the different dishes prepared by contestants.

This year’s festival will also feature a special Centennial Celebration honoring car racer and design genius Carroll Shelby who would have turned 100 in January. He died in 2012 at the age of 89.

“Carroll Shelby was a remarkable race car driver and designer,” Sabin Warrick, festival founder, said. “He was a genius in many ways especially in the automotive industry so it is an honor for the Texas Hot Link Festival, in partnership with the City of Pittsburg and Northeast Texas Community College, to celebrate such a wonderful man who got his start right here in Camp County.” A car show display will pay tribute to the local legend and a documentary, Shelby American, will also be shown at the First United Methodist Ministry Building on Mount Pleasant St. The last Shelby Carroll Shelby purchased, now completely restored by NTCC automotive students from the program which bears his name, will also be on display at the Northeast Texas Rural Heritage Museum located at 204 W Marshall St. The museum will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A private historical marker dedication and fundraising dinner will also be held in Shelby’s honor April 29.

And the Texas Hot Link Festival will host its first Carroll Shelby Chili Cookoff competition. At first glance, combining the legacy of a car design genius with a food competition featuring chili might seem the most unlikely paring. But Shelby actually co-hosted a chili competition himself in 1967 and gained national notoriety for helping to make the dish famous in the Lone Star State. At Shelby’s sprawling property in the Big Bend area, the first known World Championship Chili Cook Off took place in the small town of Terlingua. A few years later, Shelby formally co-founded the International Chili Society (ICS). This year’s Shelby-inspired competition will be sanctioned by the Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI) which today oversees nearly 400 domestic and international cookoffs and raises $1 million annually for charity. Winners at the Pittsburg event will receive points to qualify for the 56th Annual Terlingua International Chili Championship which is presented by CASI the first Saturday in November each year. Net proceeds will be donated to the local CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Titus, Camp and Morris Counties.

In addition to the Shelby celebration, food and craft vendors will also set up shop to sell a variety of culinary eats and treats as well as one-of-a-kind merchandise and artwork. Festival goers will enjoy all-day, live music and entertainment on the Century 21 Premier Group Main Stage. Load Trail’s Man Cave will feature the finest in farm and ranch equipment and provide a place to unwind. Fresh produce and other unique food products will also be available for purchase at Pilgrim’s Farmers Market.

“The Texas Hot Link Festival is a great event for Texas and for Pittsburg,” explained Karen Campbell, Pilgrim’s Building/Real Estate Manager and Community Liaison for Pittsburg/Camp County. “This festival celebrates the great history of hot links and attracts so many from other communities. Pilgrim’s is a proud sponsor of this event, as we work to support the community where our team members live and work. Partnering with the Texas Hot Link Festival is always an honor. We enjoy seeing the community gather in Pittsburg for the festival. Make sure to stop by and see us at the Farmer’s Market, where we will be working in conjunction with NTCC to bring lots of great vendors.”

There’s something for everyone to enjoy at the festival including the kids and kids at heart who will have a variety of games to play in the UT Health Pittsburg Mini Link Zone.

“UT Health Pittsburg enjoys being a sponsor for the Texas Hot Link Festival because it gives us the opportunity to interact with the community,” explained Hollie Cook, executive assistant for UT Health Pittsburg. “We also enjoy being able to see our patients that we treat within the facility out and enjoying the local festivities.”

For more information about how to participate in this Saturday’s Texas Hot Link Festival, go to www.TexasHotLinkFestival.

com.