The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and the Eastern Shore is coming alive with local events, festivals, and fundraisers. We love any excuse to get outside this time of year – especially when it’s for a fun-filled event. In case you haven’t noticed from our round-up of April happenings, our calendars are overflowing with events to attend over the next few weeks. One event that we are thrilled to see on the horizon is Salisbury’s annual Pork in the Park festival! Typically held in May, the event is actually scheduled for April this year, with the two-day festival set for April 24 and 25.

Live music, attractions, craft vendors, and food are all on tap for the festival. There will also be some new additions this year, including added family-friendly activities and attractions. Rommel’s Ace Inflatable Park will feature an unlimited bounce area for kids under 18. For just $10, kids will have access to over a dozen bounces, slides, and obstacles all day long. Tickets will also be available to youth and adults for the Specialty Inflatables, such as sumo wrestling, twister and jousting.

Saturday will include a full day of family-fun with the Kids Zone (free to festival attendees). Bounce house for toddlers, face painting, balloon animals, and performances round out the Kids Zone lineup, which runs from 10:30am until 6pm.

Of course there will be plenty of food included in the lineup – we’ve got our eye on the People’s Choice Wing Competition, which will be held on Saturday from 12-3pm. Attendees can purchase a ticket for the March Madness-style competition – $10 includes 20 wing tasting tickets, with samples of the best wings that some of our local restaurants have to offer. Various BBQ vendors will be on hand again this year, dishing out some of the best BBQ that the Eastern Shore has to offer, including Always Smokin’ Food, Hess BBQ, Kloby’s Smokehouse, Smoke Shack, The Crabby Hog, Whatchu Cooking Willis, The High Spot and Warhouse Smokers BBQ.

Saturday will also include the 5th Annual Cornhole Tournament! Teams will face off against one another for $500 in cash prizes. Registration is currently open for the Cornhole Tournament. Look for plenty of live entertainment all weekend-long, including Front Page News on Friday night and Such Fools on Saturday night.

The festival hours are Friday, April 24 from 4-10pm and Saturday, April 25 from 10am-10pm. The festival is held at Winterplace Park in Salisbury, with shuttle service available for the Tri-County Council Building off of Route 50.

For more information, head over to www.porkinthepark.org. And stay tuned for all of our delicious photos and event coverage on our social media pages!