The Southern Christmas Show has been a holiday shopping tradition in the Queen City for 45 years. This year, shoppers will be able to add a local touch to their holiday celebrations with a variety of food and agriculture products made in North Carolina. The department, along with the N.C. Specialty Food Association, N.C. Christmas Tree Association and several N.C. wineries, will be at the event, which runs Nov. 8-18, at the Park Expo and Conference Center in Charlotte.
Thirty members of the N.C. Specialty Food Association will showcase more than 130 of their products, including chocolates, sauces, cookies, salsas, crackers and peanuts. These products make great gifts for friends, family, co-workers and teachers.
Many of the vendors have received national attention this year. Charlotte-based Polka Dot Bake Shop and Race City Sauce Works both received Sofi awards at the Summer Fancy Food Show in Washington, D.C. In addition, Miss Jenny’s Pickles, of Kernersville, was recently featured on 60 Minutes.
Look for these and other specialty food vendors in Booth 24, @The Market N.C. Specialty Foods. The booth is organized by the department’s Marketing Division and is supported through a grant from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund.
You can purchase N.C. Christmas trees from the N.C. Christmas Tree Association at Booth 2024. Several N.C. wineries also will be scattered throughout the show. For a more information, including a full list of exhibitors and schedule of events, go to http://www.southernshows.com/scs/?show_events=1&stage_id=306.
If you can’t make the Southern Christmas Show, you can still purchase locally produced items for gifts and holiday celebrations. Find vendors near you by searching the Got to Be NC General Store.