Family barbecue picnic scheduled for next Friday

Bring your blanket, but leave the PB&J behind and let the experts do the cooking as you enjoy a summertime family barbecue picnic in the gardens. Chef teams from Culinard, the culinary school on the local campus of Virginia College, will be grilling at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden from 6 to 10 p.m. next Friday, Aug. 28. Those who attend the Picnic at the Pavilion can enjoy live music by Destiny Manzella and Kenny Acosta and children’s water activities in addition to family games on the lawn.

The menu will feature slow-smoked beef brisket, chicken quarters, sausages, summer vegetable pasta salad, roasted corn on the cob, barbecue baked beans, sweet corn muffins, watermelon and beer and wine. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children 4-10, and free for kids 3 and under. Proceeds will benefit the Botanic Gardens and its educational programs.