West Cary’s Biggest Festival is Back

Cary, NC — Local beer, musicians, performers, a kids area, petting zoo, hillbilly horseshoes, and pie-eating contest — all these things and a couple of new additions will be featured in the 5th Annual Fest in the West coming up on Saturday, November 6, 2021.

Thanks to the planners behind the event, here is a quick look into what’s to come to this year’s Fest in the West celebration.

Where: USA Baseball National Training Complex | 200 Brooks Park Lane

When: 10 AM – 4 PM | Saturday, November 6

What is Fest in the West?

Fest in the West is a wide-open festival to celebrate the community in West Cary. It takes place on a large lush green field at the USA Baseball Training facility off of Green Hope School Road, west of 540.

Admission to the festival is free, including games, face painting, and magician shows for the kids. For purchase items like crafts, food and beer will also be available throughout the day.

“For many folks who live out there, Downtown Cary seems very far away. Knowing that, and hearing complaints from residents for years about a lack of events taking place out there, we created this event especially for them,” said Festival Director, Lindsey Chester.

The first Fest in the West event took place at a shopping center in 2016. After that, The Town of Cary partnered with the organizers of the event to bring it to the internationally known USA Baseball National Training Complex.

For those who have never been to a Fest in the West event, you can expect some of the best bands in the Triangle, local craft vendors, dance performances, a kids corral, and a locally sourced beer garden and food truck rodeo.

“One of best things about Fest in the West is our contests,” said Chester. “Hillbilly Horseshoes has been a hit since the first time we created it- imagine contestants throwing toilet seats instead of horseshoes to score their ringers! And we have the annual Pie Eating Contest that started in 2016 and has a champion looking to defend his title.”

New additions to this year’s lineup will be the Cornhole Tournament and some free play games and activities geared towards families.

For those visually inclined, Fest in the West has its own micro-documentary to help give you an idea of the fun and feel of this Saturday afternoon festival.

Want to get to know the different sections of this huge festival in West Cary? Here are even more details from the Fest in the West website.

Entertainment

Entertainment is always a big highlight of Fest in the West, bringing some amazing local talents to the stage — actually two stages. The festival will have a main stage near the beer garden area with three bands rocking out music sets throughout the day.

A second stage, called the Welcome Stage will be positioned in the middle of the Food Truck Rodeo with a mix of cultural and youth performers highlighting the wide range of talent our area has to offer. At this stage, there will be a new performance every half hour.

Here’s who’s been picked to perform at Fest in the West 2021.

On the Main Stage,

Sponsored by Parkside Eye Care

• Adam Decker and Friends
• The Blenders
• SouLe and the Super Band

On the Welcome Stage

sponsored by Publix Supermarkets

• Triangle Dance For Life
• Sun Assembly Dancers
• English Country Dancers
• Academy for the Performing Arts
• Bach to Rock
• Starpath Dance Academy
• Indigo Dance Academy

Food Truck Rodeo & Beer Garden

What good festival is complete without food trucks? Fest in the West will be hosting a food truck rodeo with the best of the Triangle on hand. These will include makers of barbeque, vegetarian options, ethnic favorites, and kid-friendly bites, too!

The following food vendors will be in the 2021 FiTW food truck rodeo:

• Beefy Buns
• Oak City Fish and Chips
• Magnificent Concessions
• Peddle to the Kettle
• Georgina’s Truck
• Gussy’s Greek
• Mr Wingz and Mrs Thingz

The Beer Garden is always a very popular area within the festival where folks can grab a locally made brew while enjoying the music from the main stage nearby. This area also has a front-row seat to all the contests, including the always entertaining pie-eating contest!

Attendees will receive souvenir beer cups sporting the Fest in the West logo.

These brewmasters will be at the Beer Garden this year:

• Bombshell Beer Co
• Bond Brothers Beer
• Bull City Cider
• Fortnight Brewing Co
• Red, White and Bubbly (wine)
• Triangle Beer Co

Contests

Cornhole Tournament (New this year!)

Cornhole boards will be set up in the midway area of the festival for festival-goers to practice their skills. A sign-up for the contest will be available at the Sponsor Booth of the contest, Orangetheory Fitness to register for a competition time.

Through bracketed play in the afternoon, a winner will be declared at the end of the day.

Hillbilly Horseshoes

The Hillbilly Horseshoes Contest will test both skills and patience as contestants attempt to get a ringer throwing toilet seats for points. That’s right — toilet seats!

This will take place to the right of the main stage after the first band finishes up on the Main Stage around noon. ExPo Life, a new fitness gym in western Cary, is the sponsor of this contest and will be helping with scorekeeping.

Pie Eating Contest

The Pie Eating Contest, sponsored by the Todd Harrison Real estate Team, challenges a dozen daring individuals to eat a pie in the quickest time, leaving empty plates, full bellies, and a satisfied crowd. This contest takes place after the second band finishes up, at approximately 2-2:30 PM, and will be set up to the left of the Main Stage.

Kids Corral & Petting Zoo

Arts & Crafts Village

The Village of Arts & Crafts is an area filled with local area makers. Being in early November, Fest in the West is a great opportunity to start holiday shopping this year!

The lineup includes jewelry, stained glass, wall hangings, photography, pottery, soap, candles, garden ornaments, and more. Some will also be demonstrating their craft for you to peek into the creative process. Here’s a list of the makers already locked in for FiTW 2021.

• Miscellanee
• SarahLou Art & Design
• Rose May Jewelry
• Smiling Elephant Studio
• B&C Boards and more
• TUTUDRESSY
• Lindaloo Jewelry
• KB MUD BUDDIES
• Single-Handed Foods dba Bulletproof Sauces
• Rock Of Ages
• Live Gently Art
• Brooklyn Lush
• Wreaths of Sunshine
• A Knitted ART
• Decorative Coasters N Things
• Sculpture by Dexter
• Morganically Grown
• Charming Bird Creations
• 810 Designs
• Surly Squirrel
• Wildside Tie Dyes
• Capital Quilters Guild Raleigh NC
• Labrottie Creations
• Heaven Scent Honey
• Munga Vision
• Sizzlin Arrow

Story by Ashley Kairis. Photos and video by Hal Goodtree.

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