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Dancin'
in the Street - Kershaw HOG JAM
Kershaw, SC October 14, 2006
There
was dancing in the street, Hampton Street in Downtown Kershaw, on August
14th. The occasion, the 1st Annual Kershaw HOG JAM. Why were "they"
dancing, because the music and atmosphere was just too good not to dance.
Organizers brought together 2,000 lbs of pork, 22 Barbeque cooking teams, 6
bands, 20 vendors and a crowd of approximately 2,500. One City Council
Member said, "The population of Kershaw
has doubled in one day!" (I think that's what he said, he was talking
with a mouth full of the winning team's barbeque in his mouth.)
Barbeque cooking competitions are serious business. The teams function just
like any other team contest. Like a NASCAR pit crew, everyone has a job to
do, and each knows their job through years of training and experience. Not
just any ole grill will do! Most cookers are custom designed and built. They
are trailer mounted with all the utensil holders in strategic locations,
warming areas on the grill, and counter weights for the lid. Recipes for
prepping, basting, and the sauces are not shared with the public or the
competition. Some of the teams are owned or sponsored by barbeque
restaurants. Others, with much distain for their brothers, who have sunken
to the cheap commercialism of the art of Barbeque, are much like you and I.
They hold down weekday jobs and are respected for their commitment to the
art. One said, "Did Michelangelo paint signs? I cook pig because it is
my passion, my art, and it gets me away from my mother-in-law." Serious
Business.
The committee that organized the HOG JAM is composed of Kershaw business
owners, citizens, and town officials that are working to bring new life to
Kershaw. Planning will start for next year's HOG JAM in the near future. Do
you want to help? Volunteers are welcome, stop by any of the merchants on
Hampton Street, or Town Hall, they'll put you on the list. You'll get a
shirt, and the satisfaction of making your part of the world a better
place. The seed money for this year's HOG JAM was provided by SEE
LANCASTER. The proceeds from this year's event will go towards the initial
budget for next year, and to establish the Kershaw Historical Society.
Who came to the HOG JAM? Check the photos, from infants to people in their
90's. The crowd was just what you would expect from Kershaw, genteel and
friendly. Greeting old friends, making new ones. I spoke to one of the
Sheriff's Deputies and asked about the crowd, "Just what we expected,
no problems." Ah, small town life.
What did they do? Most ate barbeque until it was gone, talked, visited,
shopped, watched the crowd, listened to the fine entertainment, and
entertained each other. The kids had plenty to keep themselves busy too.
Face painting, pumpkin decorating, moonwalk castle, fishing booth, ring
toss, as well as wagon rides for all ages were just a few of the
attractions. I overheard one Kershaw resident, who recently moved back
home from "The City" say, "I want to rub the nose
of that mule." If you don't get it you're probably not from a small
town. It's a nostalgia thing, like playing under the grape arbor,
climbing a magnolia, swinging from weeping willow branches, fishing in
the pond, or picking blackberries to take back up to grandma's house to
"help" her make a pie. No mater where you were at on a
grandparents' farm the house was always up. Maybe they need to teach
nostalgia in schools, I think their are plenty of teachers available in
Kershaw. It's that kind of place. I got a free refresher from the
residents today. Thanks.
This talk of pigs bring to mind the old story my Great Uncle Furman
told, he sold farm equipment in the Sandhills area of North Carolina
from about 1935 until 1970, except for the 4 years he was away fighting
"The Big One", WWII. The story goes " I was out calling
on farmers on spring afternoon and pulled up to a farm house where the
farmer was resting before going back to the fields. As I was walking up
the steps, I noticed a pig laying in the yard. Nice looking pig, except
it was missing a hind leg. After introducing myself, (as an icebreaker)
I asked about the pig. He said the pig was a family pet
named Lucky, and that Lucky was a special pig, smart as any dog he'd
ever owned, and just as smart as some of his cousins to boot. So I had
to ask why he was so special. The farmer told me that about two years
before, his house had caught on fire in the middle of the night. Lucky
had come into the house (not something he usually did) and woke everyone
in time to put the fire out without any major damage. I asked if that
was how Lucky lost his leg. The farmer said no. Then he told me that
Lucky had also saved one of the grandkids from getting run over in the
road. He had run and pushed the kid out of the way of a truck. Special
Pig, that Lucky. Again, I asked if that's how he lost his leg? The
answer was no. He continued to tell me that just 6 months ago, that he
(the farmer, not Lucky) was changing the tire on a tractor. Lucky saw
that the jack was slipping, Lucky had run over and nudged him out of the
way. I had to agree that is a special pig. Again I asked, is that how he
lost his leg. No the farmer said. A pig that special you don't want to
eat all at once!"
Tell it as your own.
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