Like any good festival, the 22nd annual Carthage Buggy Festival, Saturday, May 8, will offer visitors a plethora of sights, sounds and smells - oh, the smells ...

Fresh-popped kettle corn, Polish sausage grilled with peppers and onions, Lexington-style barbecue pork and chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs ...

And, then there's the tastes ... What's a festival without cotton candy, snow cones, funnel cakes, ice cream or candy apples?

Thankfully, that's not a question those attending the Carthage Buggy Festival will have to face. Once again, organizers have brought in an array of food vendors who will be serving up a wide selection of tasty goodies.

In addition to the foods above, festival-goers will be able to choose from fresh mini doughnuts, frozen chocolate bananas, nachos, fries, hoagies, jerk chicken, Caribbean rice and salads, stuffed grape leaves, blackened chicken on pitas and much more.

While regulars will find their favorite food items offered by the vendors surrounding the historic courthouse in downtown Carthage, they also will find a vendor who will be lending a new flavor to the Buggy Festival.

Party in a Pita serves a Lebanese/Greek menu that may not sound like typical festival food, but the flavors of the dishes have festival-goers coming back for more.

A family-owned and operated business, Party in a Pita has been selling both its food and the family's Lebanese culture at festivals, including the North Carolina State Fair, throughout North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia for six years.

Backed by more than 30 years in the restaurant business, Party in a Pita sells one falafel at a time, says owner/operator Leann Ishak.

Falafel, also known as veggie burger, is made of ground chickpeas and fava beans, onion, parsley, cilantro, garlic and spices. It is served on a pita with tahini sauce, lettuce and tomato.

Other vegetarian offerings include hummus, tabbouleh (a Lebanese salad), grape leaves and a -hummus/tabbouleh pita -sandwich.

Meat lovers will want to try either a chicken or beef/lamb gyro, which is served on pita bread with tahini or cucumber sauce, lettuce and tomato.

Baklava, made with walnuts, is a sweet treat.

"We hope everyone comes out and gives us a try," Ishak says. "We love sharing our culture and food with other communities. We pride ourselves in the food we serve and the clean operation we run."

Whether you choose an old favorite or opt to try something new, you'll find plenty of -beverage options to refresh your palate. The selection will include shakes, smoothies, coffee and fresh-squeezed lemonade, limeade and orangeade, as well as homemade root beer, cream, black cherry and grape soda.