Ground Steak Festival ready for launch

Billboards announcing the first North Carolina Ground Steak Festival are seen along local roadways.

Photo: Discover Dobson

The brochures for the Ground Steak Trail have just arrived and will be available online and the hard copy versions will be handed out at the North Carolina Ground Steak Festival on Saturday, June 10, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in downtown Dobson.

Photo: Discover Dobson

Next weekend in downtown Dobson will be the first of its kind — the newly christened North Carolina Ground Steak Festival.

Travis Frye, director of the Tourism Authority for Dobson and Surry County, has been advocating for some recognition for this local delicacy for some time. After the humble sonker got a placard and national recognition last year, he made it one of his goals to bring some honor to ground steak.

For those who live outside the Yadkin Valley, the ground steak sandwich is going to be an unknown quantity, but Frye lovingly referred to it as a Surry County specialty that is, "The melt in your mouth cousin of the hamburger."

At the festival — to be held Saturday, June 10, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. — ground steak sandwiches are sure to be the star of the show. They will be provided at two booths, one of which is going to be run by Dobson Central Cafe. The other will be operated by the Flat Rock Ruritans who have made a name for themselves with their ground steak sandwiches. While the club usually only does the Autumn Leaves Festival, Frye said he was able to convince the members to be a part of the inaugural festival.

The festival will not only build interest in ground steak it will also have music all day long, food trucks, and craft vendors displaying their goods. Frye said he hopes the event "Will whet appetites for our vendors, crafters, and local businesses."

Frye said attendees may want to bring a lawn chair or blanket to enjoy the free family entertainment that will be going on throughout the festival. Music will be going on all day at the amphitheater at Dobson Square Park

Northern Family Medicine of Dobson is sponsoring the bandstand for the festival and the music will begin after the 9:45 a.m. opening ceremony.

Taking the stage first at 10 a.m. will be the local band The Biscuit Eaters, who Frye said are comprised of some younger musicians from the area and will be playing old-time music. He added, "They will be able to say that they were the first band to ever take the stage at the North Carolina Ground Steak Festival."

The music lineup doles out the bluegrass in heaps with New River Line at 11 a.m., Southern Gentlemen at noon, and Hubert Lawson & The Bluegrass Country Boys taking the stage at 1 p.m.

The Country Boys continue the music at 2 p.m., Nunn Brothers & Friends follow at 3 p.m. and None of the Above performs at 4 p.m. The festival warps with two well-known acts Steve Marshall & High Road will be the penultimate act at 5 p.m. and Wood Family Tradition closes the day with two hours of music from 6 to 8 p.m.

The North Carolina Ground Steak Festival will of course honor the ground steak sandwich but there will be food trucks aplenty Frye said, for those who may want a taste of something different.

Some of the area's favorites will be rolling into Dobson next weekend including Liz's Tacos, BJs Fry Shack, Mermaids on the Go, Scoops Ice Cream, Dixieland Kettle Corn Co., Grounded Coffee Co., Just Chillin’, Duck Donuts, T's Treats, and a new local startup Lilly's Lemonade and Sweets.

The Surry County Historical Society will also be on hand to serve one of Surry County's other signature dishes: the sonker.

Frye was told they had "made enough sonker to feed an army" but that he did not know the flavor. It does seem that sonker lovers have a preferred fruit and may advocate for blackberry above all others, but he said he would find out on the morning of just like everyone else.

Before moving over to head up Dobson and Surry County's tourism efforts, Frye worked with the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce and was known to many as the coordinator of the Autumn Leaves Festival in Mount Airy.

He took some of the knowledge and contacts gained in that role to help develop a craft and vendor fair at the Ground Steak Festival and was pleased with the robust number of participants.

While he had hoped to line up 50 vendors for the day, as of Thursday Frye said there were 100 craft and food vendors signed up. Some of the craft vendors have shown their high end works at ALF but there are also some wildcards that Frye has not seen or worked with before, meaning there will be some variety to the crafts, and it not just be all the same vendors that will show at ALF.

A children's area vendor will be operated by the folks of HDK Ranch who will be providing bounce houses, petting zoo, and pony rides during the festival.

Some folks online have asked if they can bring their four-legged friends with them, and organizers advised that Dobson Square Park itself has a no pet policy. However, the streets are pet friendly, they just ask that all animals be kept on a leash and that owners be mindful of all sights, sounds, and smells that might overwhelm animals.

Frye offered thanks to the many sponsors including title and bandstand sponsor Northern Family Medicine of Dobson. Supporting Sponsors are Carolina Carports, Golding Transport Inc. who are sponsoring the kid's zone, and Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation and Surry on the Go! who are sponsoring the ground steak booths.

The North Carolina Ground Steak Festival will serve as what Frye called a launching pad for people to gain familiarity with and then venture onto the Ground Steak Trail. The trail is a combined effort of the Dobson TDA, Surry County TDA, and the Tourism Partnership of Surry County.

Just like the sonker trail before it, the Ground Steak Trail will take folks on a trek to 11 establishments throughout the county that serve ground steak with hopefully more to join in the future.

Not everyone makes ground steak the same way, just like sonker. So, the trail will be an edible tour allowing folks to decide who has the best of the best ground steak sandwich and if Frye has his way, they can compare notes at the NC Ground Steak Festival that will be found on the second Saturday of June in the future.

Ground steaks, sonker, crafts, and bluegrass music will make for a festive day in downtown Dobson and Frye hopes it is just the first of many such festivals to come.

Find more information at: http:// www.facebook.com/DiscoverDobson