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Hogeye to offer weekend of fun

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    The Hogalicious Dessert Contest will feature a wide variety of cakes and pies. Courtesy photo

Hogeye Stroll: art show and dessert contest

The Elgin Main Street Board and the Hogeye Festival Committee added an evening of entertainment to the Hogeye Festival weekend with the Hog-eye Stroll!

On Thursday, October 24, the Hogeye Stroll from 5 to 9 p.m. will feature the Hogalicious Dessert Contest, the Pearls Before Swine Art Show, live music from The Shop Dawgz and Marla Jenson with Must be Judged, store specials and refreshments.

Stacey Wilhite, festival co-chair, shared, “We are so excited to have The Shop Dawgz playing on West First Street and Marla playing at Eva Mae’s Soul Food Kitchen on Thursday night!”

The Pearls Before Swine Art Show features artists from Central Texas in all mediums. The opening gala is Thursday evening and attendees share their votes to select The Hogeye Pearl or People’s Choice winner for the show. The show will be at The Clever Tiger, 32 North Main Street through Saturday, October 26. The art show is organized and produced by the Elgin Art Association.

The Hogalicious Dessert Contest will be at Eva Mae’s Soul Food Kitchen, 313 North Main Street, with categories in pies and cakes for youth, adults and commercial bakers. This is an evening of creativity displayed through sugar, eggs, butter and milk. Gwen Johnson chairs the desert contest and shared, “You’ll be amazed at the beauty of the entries, and you can enjoy samples after the judging at approximately 8 p.m.”

Downtown business will be open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. with refreshments, store specials, tastings, live music and more. The carnival will be open that evening with rides and fun for all ages. Enjoy an evening of fun, look for the Sowpremes and kick off Hogeye Festival weekend in style!

Old farm implement collection

One of the truly unique exhibits on display at the Hogeye Festival is the old farm implement collection.

Franklin Boettcher began this exhibit at Hog-eye about five years ago with his implement seats. These iron seats were used with horse-drawn plows during the last half of the 19th century, prior to farmers using tractors for plowing, and he now has accumulated about 220 of them.

Boettcher is a member of the Central Texas Old Iron Collectors group, which is part of the national organization. His showpieces at festivals now include old tractors from the 1940s and 50s, plows, and a number of other pieces of old farm equipment.

He encourages the public to add to this exhibit. He said, “If anyone has an old tractor or farm tool, they should bring it to Hogeye.”

His enjoyment is having people come by and look at these implements, which reflect the earlier days of farming. He will entertain and inform you with their history. Look for the display next to Bancorp South on North Main Street.

Gordon Swenson

Memorial BBQ

Pork Cook-Off

The Gordon Swenson Memorial BBQ Pork Cook-Off signifies that the Hogeye Festival is in full swing.

The event is located in the Chamber of Commerce parking lot, located at the south end of the festival on Central Avenue, and the delicious smell permeates all of central Elgin for hours while it lures citizens and visitors alike to the Historic Downtown area.

Sue Brashar and Doug Prinz are co-chairs of the event and will award prizes to the winning cooks. You can compete by registering your team starting at 5 p.m. on Friday, October 25, or you can judge! Sign up to judge starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, October 26 at the Chamber office and visitors center.

Anyone is eligible to participate in any or all of the categories, and each category has criteria, which must be met. The most important qualifier is that all entries must be pork or have pork in them.

Those with BBQ pits may check in on Friday evening from 5 to 7:30 p.m., although no one may begin cooking until Hogeye morning. Check-in resumes at 6:30 on Saturday morning, and soon thereafter smoke will begin wafting through the air. Prizes will be awarded at 5 p.m.

Judging takes place throughout the day, with beans being judged first at 10 a.m.. Each hour afterward will present a new category to be judged, including sausage, spare ribs and pork butt. The Open category may involve a dish or only meat, but the main ingredient must be pork. After all, the Hogeye Festival is “a time for warm hearts and hot guts” and October is National Pork Month!

For specifics on entering the Pork Cook-Off, please visit www.hogeyefestival.com.

Road Hog Car Show

John Schnell has been involved in some way with the Road Hog Car Show for 15 of the 20 years of its existence with the Hogeye Festival. He began by assisting, but he has now led the show for a number of years.

This is the annual car show for the Lone Star Car Club, which sponsors the Road Hog Car Show.

Schnell shared, “The Road Hog Car Show is a ‘must see’ part of the festival. While you’re taking in all of the sights and sounds of the Hogeye Festival, come enjoy the 20th anniversary of the car show, and I promise it will be one of the best yet! Please stop by and check out all of the participants.”

Car check-in will be take place on Central Avenue from 8 to 10 a.m. on Hogeye Saturday. Show cars will line up on Main Street and Central Avenue for car enthusiasts to view and admire.

While there, be sure to visit their tent on Avenue C and Central Avenue, where interested goers may register to become a member of the Club. T-shirts from yesteryears will also be for sale.

When asked if he would have a car to show, Schnell replied, “Oh yes, my 1966 Impala! I’ve had it since it was new.”

About Hogeye

The Hogeye Festival is sponsored by the Elgin Main Street Board, an organization supporting downtown revitalization, the City of Elgin, and is underwritten by area businesses. Proceeds from the festival go toward downtown improvement projects ranging from new sidewalks to beautification.

The free festival features live music and entertainment on three stages, handmade arts and crafts, children’s activities, a children’s costume pet parade, a carnival, the Road Hog Car Show, the Gordon Swenson Memorial BBQ Pork Cook-Off, Cow Patty Bingo, the Pearls Before Swine Art Show and great festive food.

The Hogeye Stroll is on Thursday, October 25, and the Free Hogeye Street Dance with Kenny Orts and No Chance is on Saturday, October 26.

For more information, visit www.hogeyefestival.com or Facebook @ HogeyeFestival and Instagram @VisitElginTx.