Few things in this region say “fall” like cool weather fake outs and Hog Day. While one will leave folks pondering whether it’s OK to wear a sweater and toboggan with shorts, there’s little debate about what to wear for the state’s longest-running annual festival: A bib.
Hillsborough Hog Day will squeeze into town this weekend. The free event kicks off Friday, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. That’s when the music starts and barbecue pit crews get fired up, preparing food that will be cooked, sold and eaten the next day. And judged. Hog Day has long been an opportunity for local cooks to show off their talents, win some money, and earn bragging rights. And over the last few years, the festival has been a qualifying event for the Whole Hog Barbecue Series, which is sanctioned by the North Carolina Pork Council, and will be among the whole-hog competitions held throughout the state.
“I think we’ve got 25 teams this year, so this is the one of the biggest gatherings of teams that we’ve had,” said Craig Lloyd, who again is heading up a team of organizers and volunteers to pull off the event. “Our cookers can either participate in the local contest, which is our traditional contest, or the state qualifier, which has a little bit more restrictions because it has state guidelines, or they can participate in both.”…