March 2 @ 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Fundraising is the Reason
The Town of Little Mountain and the Mid-Carolina High School football program will host the annual Little Mountain Pigskin Cook-Off. They will hold the cook-off in Reunion Park.
Mid-Carolina Head Coach Chris Arnoult decided to launch the event after having the success of hosting his own barbecue competitions previously.
Arnoult felt that bringing The Little Mountain Pigskin Cook-Off to Mid-Carolina would help benefit the MCHS football team.
“The Little Mountain Pigskin Cook-Off is a fundraiser I started a couple of years ago in Chesterfield,” Arnoult said.
“I always felt like I was asking the kids to do things to raise money for the program so I wanted to kind of take the pressure off them a little bit.”
Fundraising is the lifeblood of many school programs across the US, both for athletics and beyond.
Without the time and effort of fundraising — a common additional burden to students, athletes, and their parents — the funds simply would not come from anywhere else and those programs and efforts would suffer.
The Little Mountain Pigskin Cook-Off “will allow us to make improvements to our facilities, purchase equipment for the guys, purchase equipment for the weight room, help with travel and feeding the guys, buying Gatorade,” Arnoult said.
“Facility and equipment is a large portion of that.”
Little Mountain Pigskin Cook-Off Competition
The South Carolina Barbecue Association officially sanctioned the cook-off and will provide the judges.
They and the teams will arrive around lunchtime that Friday to set up and begin cooking into the next morning. As the host, the Little Mountain Pigskin Cook-Off supplies the cookers with a case of Boston Butts.
That way all of the meats the cookers use are of equal quality. This provides equanimity, eliminating a possible advantage for cookers who might otherwise splurge for prime cuts.
The cookers must turn in their entries by 10 a.m. Judges will award prizes to the top five finishers at 2 p.m. Judges score the entries based on presentation, tenderness, flavor, and more.
First place will receive a cash prize of $1,500 and a trophy (and free entry into next year’s event).
Second place will receive a trophy and $1,000. Third will receive a trophy and $500. Fourth place will receive a trophy.
The Little Mountain Pigskin Cook-Off will also host a People’s Choice Champion where the public will vote on their favorite barbecue, That winner will receive a trophy and $250.
The Little Mountain Pigskin Cook-Off held rain or shine. Arnoult said when people buy a ticket, they will be eligible to get a two-ounce sample of each team.
“I just think it’s a unique way to raise some money for the program and give something enjoyable back to the community also,” he said.
Come out and support Mid-Carolina at The Little Mountain Pigskin Cook-Off!