This morning......a good night's rest....and a quick breakfast before we got out on I-75, going north towards Chattanooga and Nashville. We made a quick stop to pick up a TN map at the Welcome Center just inside the TN state line. From there, we breezed through Chattanooga and before too long we were heading down a state road towards Lynchburg.
OMG.....as we approached the entrance area to the community......361 people, so it says....there was one of those flashing digital signs erected by the TN DOT....saying that delays should be expected because of the BBQ!!....???? WHAT THE HELL??? Well, we very, very soon realized that this place...this tiny little town devoted to Jack Daniel's whiskey.....was being completely taken over by tourists!!!! We did manage, somehow, to find a tiny, narrow space where I slowly eased the car into it.....and then walking to the main Jack Daniel's Visitor Center, we continued to see more and more and more and more people, many wearing badges. Then I overheard.....this weekend is the 2010 World Invitational BBQ Team competition!!!!!!! An annual event, we learned, which will bring in upwards of 155,000 people from ALL over the world. In fact.......61 countries were participating this weekend, as well as BBQ teams from all over our country!!!
Somehow, as we entered the Visitor Center, we were given Jack Daniel's black cards which designated that we would be on Tour 2 this morning. WOW......all of these people everywhere you would turn, and we did manage to get on the 2nd tour of the distillery!! Of course.....we had many people on the tour.....and a real crazy 60 year-old bleached blonde Tour Guide with such a thick southern accent that it was almost impossible to understand what she was saying!! I really felt sorry for the couples on our tour that had come over from Austria for the weekend......no way they could have understood her accented English!!!
The tour took 1.5 hours....and both the 1st Lady and myself were disappointed in the tour. The procedure that the good people at Jack Daniel's Distillery use to make their whiskey was not explained well....the tour seemed disjointed with a great deal of the production techniques left totally out. After having been in Kentucky a few short weeks ago and touring the Makers Mark Distillery, this was just really disappointing.
Afterwards, we walked the short block towards the town square....crossing the foot bridge and constantly running into people....just way toooo many on that little pathway. In town.....all businesses in the stores/buildings that are all around the Court House which is in the center of the square. And...the square was packed, as well as all of the stores and cafes. We finally found a little cafe where we could get a table....and had pulled pork sandwiches. Average.....dry....no BBQ sauce on the meat except what we put on ourselves.
We did a bit of window shopping....and then did buy a couple of small Jack Daniel's items. Talked with several people who explained that his is THE big weekend in the town's year.....and that there would be sooooooooooo many people tomorrow for the BBQ competition. Teams from all over the world, as well as ALL of the tens of thousands of tourists who come to participate in the festivities. We were there for about 4.5 hours.....and then squeezed our car out of the slot, across the field, and found our highway which would eventually get us into Nashville.
We had originally planned to spend the night in Nashville, but arriving there about 3:45, we decided to drive on to Paducah and spend the night there.....here. We are now in a Baymont Hotel for the evening.....and will visit with Becky and Rachel and Mike tomorrow before returning to the sticknbrick tomorrow afternoon.
OH....the most interesting thing about all of these tens of thousands, as well as the distillery itself is that the county where Lynchburg is located is a DRY COUNTY!!!!!! Yep......they cannot sell liquor there!!!! We couldn't even taste the whiskey after the tour....they just gave us Lynchburg Lemonade!!!! Hmmmm......seems they must have 2500 votes from the county to change the law....and there are not 2500 people in the county!!!!
But......even with this lackluster tour......as always.....
LIFE IS JUST REALLY, REALLY GREAT!!!!!.....And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!
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