Editing Lexington, North Carolina (section)

==Culture==
===Barbecue===
[[Image:Lexington Barbecue Festival - more pigs.jpg|thumb|[[Pigs in the City]] and the [[Lexington Barbecue Festival]] bring in tourists from all over the country.]]
{{Main|Lexington Barbecue Festival}}
Lexington calls itself the "Barbecue Capital of the World".<ref name=official>{{cite web|url=https://www.visitlexingtonnc.com|publisher=Lexington Tourism Authority|access-date=August 14, 2022|title=Welcome to Lexington, NC}}</ref> Since 1984, the city has hosted the [[Lexington Barbecue Festival]], one of the largest street festivals in North Carolina. As of 2003, the city has over twenty barbecue restaurants, an average of more than one per thousand residents. In 2012, ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' ranked Lexington #4 on its list of the best cities for [[barbecue]].<ref name="usnews">{{cite magazine|url=http://travel.usnews.com/features/Americas_Best_BBQ_Cities/ |title=America's Best BBQ Cities |magazine=U.S. News & World Report |year=2012 |access-date=June 12, 2012 |author=Bratcher, Emily H. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606043828/http://travel.usnews.com/features/Americas_Best_BBQ_Cities/ |archive-date=June 6, 2012 }}</ref>

Lexington-style barbecue is made with [[pork shoulder]] cooked slowly over a [[hardwood]] fire, usually [[hickory]]. It is basted in a sauce (called "dip" locally) made with [[vinegar]], [[ketchup]], water, salt, pepper and other spices.<ref name=serious>{{cite web|url=https://www.seriouseats.com/what-is-north-carolina-barbecue-lexington-style-meat|publisher=Serious Eats|title=What's So Great About North Carolina Barbecue? An Exam of the Lexington Style|access-date=February 6, 2022|date=February 26, 2019|author=James Boo}}</ref>  The ingredients vary from restaurant to restaurant, with each restaurant's recipe being a closely guarded secret. While each is vinegar-based, the taste varies widely from tangy to slightly sweet or spicy.

The most distinguishing feature of the "Lexington Barbecue Sandwich" is the inclusion of [[red slaw]] (sometimes called "barbecue slaw"). Red slaw is a combination of cabbage, vinegar, ketchup and crushed/ground black pepper; it is distinguishable from [[coleslaw]] because it contains no mayonnaise. Many Lexingtonians (and visitors) consider red slaw a staple for a quality barbecue experience. Red slaw is commonly served as a side dish with barbecue, grilled poultry and other meats, and on [[hot dog]]s as a relish.

===Pigs in the City===
{{Main|Pigs in the City}}
"Pigs in the City" is a public art initiative coordinated by Uptown Lexington, Inc., a [[non-profit]] organization created to revitalize the downtown (locally called "uptown") area of Lexington. People paid commissions to artists to decorate life-sized sculptures of pigs, which were installed throughout the city. Pigs in the City began in 2003, and the event drew more than 40,000 visitors from all over the state in its first year.<ref>[http://www.electricities.com/press/news/morganton_hosts.htm "Lexington: Pigs in the City"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040702142745/http://www.electricities.com/press/news/morganton_hosts.htm |date=July 2, 2004 }}, Electric Cities</ref> The cost to "sponsor" one of the 20 pigs on display was $1,000 during the first exhibition, which paid for the initiative.<ref name="newsrecord">{{cite news|title=Life-size porker promotion proves popular to public|first1=Amy |last1=Dominello |first2=Tina |last2=Firesheets |first3=Sue |last3=Schultz |first4=Eric |last4=Swensen |publisher=Greensboro News-Record}}</ref> The event ran from 2003–2005, and 2008–2009. In 2019, it was announced that Pigs in the City will return in 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.the-dispatch.com/news/20190917/uptown-lexington-announces-return-of-pigs-in-city|title=Uptown Lexington announces the return of Pigs in the City|work=The Dispatch|publisher=GateHouse Media, LLC|last=Myers|first=Sharon|date=September 17, 2019|access-date=October 5, 2019}}</ref>

===High Rock Lake===
[[Image:Abbottscreek.jpg|thumb|[[High Rock Lake]]]]
{{Main|High Rock Lake}}
The second largest lake in North Carolina, High Rock Lake is located a few miles south of Lexington. Its water surface covers {{convert|15180|acre|km2|0}}, and it has {{convert|365|mi|km|0}} of shoreline. It begins at the confluence of the [[Yadkin River|Yadkin]] and South Yadkin rivers.

High Rock Lake has long been considered one of the best fishing lakes of North Carolina.<ref>[http://www.ncgameandfish.com/fishing/bass-fishing/nc_aa073803a/index.html North Carolina Summer Bass Fishing] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724163759/http://www.ncgameandfish.com/fishing/bass-fishing/nc_aa073803a/index.html |date=July 24, 2008 }}</ref> It is the site of the Bassmaster Tournaments, including the [[Bassmaster Classic]] in 1994, 1995, 1997 and 2007<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20050214135636/http://www.campingfriend.com/HighRockLakeMarinaandCampground/ Camping in Piedmont, North Carolina]. campingfriend.com</ref> and frequently is used for other angling competitions. The lake is stocked with [[channel catfish|channel]], [[blue catfish|blue]], and [[flathead catfish]], plus [[crappie]] and several different [[Centrarchidae|sunfish]], such as [[bluegill]], [[shellcracker]] and others.  [[Striped bass|Striper]] and their [[Hybrid striped bass|hybrids]], as well as [[white bass]], are also abundant.

The lake is best known for its quantity and quality of [[largemouth bass]], which attract anglers from all over the United States.  This is likely due to the relatively shallow nature of the lake and the favorable habitat for the bass.