Edwin Peacock III

Last Thursday I had the great pleasure of attending the 80th Annual Mallard Creek Barbecue. I've written about the event before. It is a must-do on the political calendar in Mecklenburg County each year. The weather was beautiful and the cars lined up for miles to drive through to pick up their boxed lunches or to park and enjoy the gathering crowd.

Diners had a choice of two lines - political and not political. Most chose to walk through the political line. It's a tradition. Candidates and their supporters stand and shake hands and pass out campaign literature. Pictured at left is Charlotte's Mayor Pro Tem, Democratic National Committeewoman and Charlotte City Council At-Large candidate Susan Burgess. Susan should have no trouble at the polls on Tuesday

The event started back in 1929 when men of Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church held a meeting to decide how to raise money to pay for their new Sunday School building. A pig had been barbecued for the meeting and it was decided that later that year they would have a gathering of the church members and surrounding community and sell barbecue to raise money. Proceeds in the first year were about $89. A plate of barbecue and Brunswick Stew today costs $9.

The church is not located on the property where the event is held, but there are several structures, fields and a new well-lit baseball diamond. Throughout the year local community groups and boy scout troops hold meetings and other events there. I'm sure a large part of the building space is used to store all of the tables and chairs.

The Charlotte Observer editorial board endorsements are out for the Charlotte City Council and while I would have liked to see a 3-1 split for Dems, they didn't do a shabby job of picking strong candidates.

After winning for years without the CharO endorsement, Susan Burgess finds herself in the happy situation of having received the endorsement this year. I'm sure she will be eternally grateful, though I imagine she would easily win without it.