One of the world's great culinary delicacies, liver mush, will be the center of attention Saturday, October 19 from 9am to 4pm in Uptown Shelby when the 39th annual North Carolina Liver Mush Festival (AKA Mush, Music & Mutts Festival) takes place.
The event will feature liver mush cooking and eating, a variety of musical entertainment, dog shows, arts and crafts, and a whole lot of good, clean, family fun. The NC Liver Mush Festival: Mush, Music & Mutts is a free festival presented annually by VISIT Cleveland County, a division of Cleveland County Government.
Some folks may not know just exactly what liver mush is, so here's a quick education on the stuff. Liver mush is a blend of ground scrap pork meat and liver, with a generous dash of spices, all held together with cooked cornmeal mush to make it sliceable.
People generally eat it for breakfast alongside eggs, or in a sandwich or biscuit. It is sold in brick-shaped blocks that are cut into slices that are then fried. Some folks even eat it raw.
Food historians trace its origins to German immigrants who ate something called pon hoss, which was pork scraps blended with buckwheat and spices, and then brought it to America during the 1700s. The food ultimately came south to the NC Mountains and Piedmont, where it was often made on farms.
Liver mush also enjoyed popularity during the Great Depression because it was an affordable substitute for more expensive cuts of meat. These days, the five commercial liver mush producers -- Corriher's, Hunter's, Jenkins, Mack's, and Neese's -- are all based in our state's western counties. Representatives and food from Mack's Liver Mush and Frank Corriher's Liver Mush presented by Shelby Rotary Club as a fundraiser for community ser vice projects will be on hand at the event.
Emily Epley with VISIT Cleveland County talked about the festival.
"The NC Liver Mush Festival: Mush, Music & Mutts provides much more than just liver mush!" she said. "People can enjoy live music, kids activities, the RollOver Pet Zone, over 100 vendors, and more. With an estimated 2023 attendance of 12,000 with year over year growth, we are proud to bring the festival back better than ever in October 2024. The festival was started by Mack's Liver Mush in 1985 and has seen many variations over the years. Livermush is the catalyst though it has seen many transformations over the years. About 10 years ago, RollOver Pets, an Uptown Shelby pet supply store where 'Pets bring their People', joined in the fun. Fast forward to today where there is an entire section of the festival dedicated to pets and their people, presented by Rollover Pets."
Live Music has been part of the Liver mush Festival for many years. Since 2019, an emphasis on showcasing music that ties into the roots of rich music heritage here while also honoring innovation and new ways of applying those traditions. Musicians are booked on two stages with an emphasis on North Carolina musicians or musicians who were influenced by the music heritage of local musicians such as Don Gibson and Earl Scruggs. This includes not just their styles of music but also innovation. Both are credited with impacts on genres of American Music and Earl especially has been known as an innovator. He also was a mentor and uplifted younger or new musicians, so the stages will always include youth and up and coming musicians as well as those who are well renowned.
Special musical performers at the festival will include headliners Darin and Brooke Aldridge from Cherryville. The pair have spent over a decade amassing a loyal, active fan base, reaping awards, becoming Grand Ole Opry favorites with over 50 Opry performances, and releasing a string of critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums and Number 1 singles.
Brooke is a four-time consecutive winner of the "Female Vocalist of the Year" for the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). Darin was a former member of the legendary bluegrass band The Country Gentlemen. He is an IBMA "Mentor of the Year" award winner and a truly gifted singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist.
Kids will get their kicks at the festival with free activities at the Land of Rhythm Kids Zone. This includes The Poetry Fox - give him one word and he types a custom poem using that word on his old-fashioned typewriter, Ross the Balloon Guy - two balloon artists will create balloon animals, and Pumpkin Painting made possible by Central UMC Shelby and HomeTrust Bank.
Pet activities will include Paw Painting, Dynamo Dogs performances, Pet Parade, Costume Contest and Costume Contest Award Ceremony, along with a Musical Sit Contest.
Don't forget the livermush! Liver Mush Competitions - cash prizes, trophies and bragging rights for winners. There will be a Liver Mush Eating Contest (sign up in advance or show up and hope there is still a spot left), Liver Mush Recipe Contest (Cash prizes up to $500 plus a match gift to the charity of your choice) requires pre-registration and spaces are limited, Liver Mush Cookoff - Watch this on livestream from the Greenbrook Design Show Kitchen in Uptown Shelby. Local chef Johnny Ray from Johnny Ray's Smokehouse and The Hoot-Nannie competes with Local Chef Jason Walker from The Depot for a grand prize in this cookoff. Each chef receives Mack's Liver Mush and a mystery box of ingredients and then has one hour to come up with a prepare the winning dish.
The festivals main sponsors include- Albemarle Corporation presents the Main Stage; Walker Woodworking presents musical performers Darin & Brooke Aldridge; Greenbrook Design presents the Liver Mush Recipe Contest and Liver Mush Cookoff; and Cline's Nursery is another major sponsor.
For more information on this signature Shelby event visit https://www.
nclivermushfestival.com/.