Get ready to get piggy with it!—for charity, that is! The infamous Swine Ball, Nashville’s “pig nose-optional” soiree to be held from 7-11 p.m. on August 11 at Silver Dollar Saloon (110 2nd Avenue N., Nashville), is pleased to announce that proceeds from this year’s ball will go to support the Culinary Arts Scholarship Fund at Nashville State Community College, with the hope of raising enough proceeds for three students to pursue an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts through the program.

Sponsored by the Cumberland Hospitality Group, this year’s Swine Ball will feature the veteran Sutton. Guests are invited to wear a tux or cocktail dress, or don their favorite pair of jeans, daisy dukes or cowboy boots (no one will look down his or her snout at you for creative attire). Also included in the evening’s agenda is a Hog Calling Contest, a presentation of this year’s Grand Ole Porker (G.O.P.) Humanitarian Award and much more.  But don’t forget to “dance with the pig that brought you!” Tickets for this delightfully tacky event are $65 and are available at www.musiccitybbqfestival.com.
 

The infamous Swine Ball is the middle-class answer to the galas and balls of Nashville’s elite.  With a history that spans three decades, the extremely popular event was resurrected, “pigger than ever,” in 2010 after a five-year hiatus as the official kick-off event for the not-for-profit Music City Festival and BBQ Championship to be held August 24-25 in Riverfront Park, which will additionally benefit the Wounded Warrior Project and the Shriners Hospital for Children.  This year’s music headliners will be The Fabulous Thunderbirds featuring Kim Wilson (Friday, Aug. 24) and Grand Funk Railroad (Saturday, August 25). The American rock lineup is only part of the fun this festival offers, with more than 100 professional and amateur BBQ teams competing for more than $25,000 in prizes and cash, as well as the Music City Car Show, FADD’s Party Bus Kids Zone, a Biergarten which will feature live entertainment from the Nashville Blues Society and the ever-popular People’s Choice Contest. Tickets start at $10 and are available at www.musiccitybbqfestival.com.

Both the Music City Festival & BBQ Championship and the Swine Ball are designed to give attendees the opportunity to support charitable organizations while enjoying great food and entertainment. Over the last three years, these events have donated more than $28,000 to charity.

This event combines live music, great food and charitable giving – three things our city is known for,” Nashville Mayor Karl Dean said. “I applaud the organizers for directing proceeds from the Swine Ball to students seeking a degree in Culinary Arts from Nashville State. With a new satellite campus in Antioch soon to open, Nashville State Community College plays an increasingly important role in providing an educated workforce for Nashville’s growing economy.”

Founded in 1997, the Randy Rayburn School of Culinary Arts at Nashville State Community College offers an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Culinary Arts as well as a non-degree, one-year certificate program. The Culinary Arts program currently enrolls about 225 students and operates at maximum capacity each year. The program also boasts a 100 percent placement rate for their graduates who seek employment in the culinary arts field, most of whom enter the workforce at the Sous Chef (Assistant Chef) level. To find out more about Nashville State Community College or the Culinary Arts program, visit www.nscc.edu.

“The culinary arts program at Nashville State Community College is proud to be a beneficiary of some 'pork barrel funding,’ courtesy of the Swine Ball this year,” said Randy Rayburn, renowned Nashville-based restaurateur. “The highly successful jobs program is the result of an incredibly talented and gifted group of faculty who provide a quality, cost-effective education for individuals  seeking to 'slop' in the hospitality industry. All funds donated to the program will go toward scholarships to offset student tuition costs."
 
About Music City Festival & BBQ Championship:
Established in 2008, the Music City Festival & BBQ Championship is held annually in downtown Nashville.  Along with entertainment featuring headlining artists, the Music City Festival & BBQ Championship is also one of the few BBQ competitions in the United States sanctioned by both the Memphis BBQ Network and the Kansas City BBQ Society and therefore, has the biggest footprint of any current festival in Riverfront Park.  Each and every year, the committee selects one or two charities of choice and supports them with a portion of proceeds from each festival. So far, the Music City Festival & BBQ Championship has donated over $28,000 to these selected charities.   
 
About Nashville State Community College:
Nashville State Community College is a two-year institution, serving Davidson, Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery and Stewart Counties, and the Upper Cumberland region. Their mission is to provide comprehensive educational programs and partnerships, exemplary services, an accessible, progressive learning environment, and responsible leadership to improve the quality of life for the community it serves. For more information, please visit www.nscc.edu.
 
About Cumberland Hospitality Group:
Cumberland Hospitality Group is a Nashville, Tennessee-based hospitality management company. Cumberland Hospitality Group's primary mission is to provide excellent service for its customers with a true Nashville experience. Cumberland Hospitality Group manages a wide variety of entities, including: Whiskey Bent Saloon on Broadway and its second-level Frontier Room, a private event space; Bootleggers Inn, also located on Broadway; Silver Dollar Saloon and the Ryman Room event space, both located on the corner of Broadway and 2nd Avenue; CRAVE Catering, which offers a vast array of menu options and decor; and Scoreboard Bar and Grill, located across from Gaylord Opryland. Cumberland Hospitality Group is expanding its footprint nationwide, but will always carry Nashville hospitality with it. For more information, please visit www.cumberlandhospitalitygroup.com or call (615) 953-2245.