RIDGEWAY – On Friday and Saturday, barbecue lovers will converge again upon the little town of Ridgeway to buy, sell, dance, enjoy musical entertainment, shop and, most of all to partake of the pig during the town’s 19th annual Pig on the Ridge festival.
The festival, the largest in the state for 12 out of the last 14 years, is more than entertainment, shopping and gluttony. Proceeds from the festival bring in thousands of dollars every year that the organizers, Tom Connor, Don Prioleau, Ruffus Jones and Henry Dixon plow back into the community.
“The festival has raised about $95,000 since we started the event back in 1999,” Tom Connor said.
“We had the first one to celebrate the town’s 200th anniversary. It was so successful we just continued it,” Connor said. “All the profit goes to the community for good causes. We always give about $300 to each of the 21 or so churches in the community for them to purchases Christmas toys for families who might need help at that time of year. We also spend some of the money on the fire department, we renovated town hall, and there are lots of smaller causes, all good for the community,” Connor said.
And it’s all done with volunteers, between 150 and 200.
“They work a good part of the year just getting ready,” Connor said. “They and the cook teams are what make it happen. We’re looking for a big crowd.
