Mallard Creek Church’s ‘Grand Daddy of NC BBQ’s’ event canceled again as COVID cases surge

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) – The 91st ‘Grand Daddy of North Carolina BBQ’s’ event at Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church in Charlotte was canceled Monday for the second year in a row amid concerns over rising COVID-19 cases.

Church leaders said the decision was made “after much prayer and deliberation,” citing the health and safety of the hundreds of volunteers and thousands of visitors as the main reason for canceling the event.

Mallard Creek Church said it considered doing a drive-through, spaced out seating, a scaled-down event and even postponement, but saw no way to guarantee safety.

The BBQ has been a tradition since it first began in 1929 and has continued annually on the fourth Thursday of October.

The church explained its decision to cancel in an email released Monday:

“The Session of Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church, unanimously voted to support the BBQ Committee’s recommendation to CANCEL the 91st Annual BBQ, traditionally held the 4th Thursday in October.  This difficult decision was reached after much prayer and deliberation, by the Session’s Elders and the BBQ Committee.  While we realize that the “Grand Daddy of North Carolina BBQ’s” is a timeless tradition, greatly anticipated by our Church Membership, our community, the media, and politicians – but first and foremost, the health and safety of our hundreds of Church volunteers and the thousands of valuable customers we serve each year is of the utmost importance.

Rest assured, the Church Leadership explored many options, such as drive-thru-only service, spaced-out seating, postponement, or a scaled-down event.  Unfortunately, the time-honored tradition of slow-roasted pork over hickory wood, and making our Brunswick stew and Coleslaw from scratch – requires very close contact of our Church volunteers for a week.  We saw no way to accomplish this, and have our folks remain safe.  Finally, we would never want to endanger our customers on BBQ Day.

We pray for quick healing of our community, and trust that we will be able to see all our supporting friends again, on October 27, 2022!“