Kicking off summer events in Knoxville this weekend, the International Biscuit Festival is sure to get your mouth watering and your biscuits buttered!

Only the second year for the event, the International Biscuit Festival is gaining national media exposure. This past weekend, Parade Magazine noted the Festival as a must-see event in Tennessee, and Southern Living also featured the Festival in the May 2011 issue.

With great national exposure, you may be asking what is the International Biscuit Festival and how can you get involved?

The International Biscuit Festival celebrates the heritage of home cooking through that most perfect of foods: the Biscuit. The Festival combines food, fun and entertainment to create a unique destination event.

Events kick off on Friday, May 27 at 7:00 p.m. with the Biscuit Benefit Dinner, featuring Miami-based guest chef Michelle Bernstein and hosted by Blackberry Farm. The Biscuit Benefit Dinner is a new event this year, and proceeds from the dinner will benefit Share Our Strength, a national charity working to eliminate childhood hunger, as well as local partner Second Harvest.

On Saturday, May 28, the day starts with the Biscuit Breakfast, presented by Hardee’s, where Biscuit lovers can select from a big Biscuit buffet provided by Hardee’s and top caterers from around the region.

The Biscuit Bazaar vendor area opens early to showcase Biscuit-friendly wares, including jams, jellies, honey, sorghum, aprons, kitchenware, artwork and cookbooks. The Bazaar will fill two blocks of Clinch Avenue.

Guests with an appetite can stroll down Biscuit Boulevard, a tasting area with more than twenty different restaurants and Biscuit bakers sharing their Signature Biscuits. Guests can purchase $5.00 tickets that allow them to sample up to five different Biscuit creations. Biscuits can also be purchased directly from participating vendors.

The main event in the afternoon is the Biscuit Bake Off, presented by Lodge Cast Iron. Contestants selected from a nationwide application process will compete on the Southern Biscuit Flour Stage in four categories: Traditional Biscuits, Dessert Biscuits, Most Creative Biscuit, and Kids’ Biscuits.

The category for young Biscuit bakers is a new addition for this year’s festival. “We want to encourage the next generation of Biscuit makers to create the Biscuits of tomorrow,” said Chris Kahn, co-chair of this year’s Bake Off competition.

Music is always an important part of the Biscuit Festival, and this year’s lineup is the best yet. It starts with the Pre-Heat show on Thursday night, May 26, with YouTube sensations The Cleverlys warming up The Square Room with their quirky mix of musical talent and tongue-in-cheek humor. The weekend wraps up with The Black Lillies and Tift Merritt at the Bijou on Saturday, May 28.

Tickets for these shows are on sale now. They are also included in the Biscuit Bundles Ticket Packages that are available.  These include different price packages for different events and everything is also priced individually for as little as $10. Below are some of the packages as well as some links for more info and details:

The Basic Biscuit Bundle ($85): includes tickets to the Biscuit Breakfast, Biscuit Boulevard, The Cleverlys, The Black Lillies, Biscuit Tee and a Biscuit Festival poster.

The Better Biscuit Bundle ($200): includes all of the above except instead of the Biscuit Breakfast it include the Blackberry Brunch.

The Blackberry Bundle ($200): Blackberry Benefit and Blackberry Brunch ($75 savings) - call or Email John Craig at 384-7290 or jwcraig@tds.net if interested in this as it’s not listed on the website.

For more information about the International Biscuit  Festival, go to www.Biscuitfest.com.