Craig Lloyd and Hog Day Hillsborough

ORANGE SLICES

By Laurie Paolicelli

Members of Hog Day 2023 Committee. Craig Lloyd front left.

Hillsborough, North Carolina prides itself on preserving the historical legacy of our state. Most of its downtown is on the National Historic Register, and local leaders nurture a Native American replica village in the town center, celebrate the town’s role in the American Revolution, and its continuing efforts to restore churches, land, and iconic buildings.

Then there’s Hog Day. Hog Day celebrates Hillsborough’s ties to agriculture and community but with a slightly different take, and a slightly different taste.

It is just an old-fashioned hog roast.

Hog Day in Hillsborough, NC.

Hog Day began some forty years ago by local business leaders, including Joe Crews. And it was three decades ago that Craig Lloyd joined the volunteer group, later becoming the director of the popular festival while serving as the Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber director.

In more recent years, Craig Lloyd brought it back to life, because he believes Hog Day celebrates the town, history, community and its commitment to neighbors and visitors alike. He is right.

“Hog Day is the oldest continuous BBQ festival in North Carolina right now,” Lloyd says. “It is an old country festival, and we are proud of that. We cook twenty-five whole hogs and have been selected to be part of the NC Whole Hog Barbecue Series, which is sanctioned by the North Carolina Pork Council, and will be among the 15 to 20 whole-hog competitions held March through October, throughout North Carolina.”

Hog Day winners 2023.

The winner of each local cook-off is invited to the championship to vie for coveted trophies. Awards are for best whole-hog barbecue, best sauce, crispy skin, blind-taste judging, and a people’s choice award.

Lloyd still lives on Lloyd’s Dairy Farm in the Efland part of Orange County, one of the one hundred century-old farms in the state. His great grandfather came here in 1753. It has been a part of his family for ten generations. He wants it to last another ten.

“I was raised on a dairy farm, where I learned hard work and love of the land like my father and older brother. My brother now manages the farm and crops. My Grandfather told me there were two ways to make a living: with a pick or a pencil. Watching my parents’ commitment to public service inspired me to take a similar career path. I have served with the American Cancer Society, NC National Guard Association and North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce and its Visitors Bureau throughout my career. You could say I choose the pencil.”

Lloyd made headlines in 2020 when he tried to save a local house George Washington spent the night in when he was touring the South to better acquaint himself with the ‘character of the states and their problems.’ According to an entry in his journal, Washington spent the night of June 3-4, 1791, there. “My efforts to preserve this house didn’t work out, but it was a valiant effort at preservation.”

It’s clear that Lloyd loves Orange County. “I believe in diversity in economy, society, and life. I support the growth taking place near our Orange County home in Efland. We may not all agree on every aspect of economic development, but at the end of the day, I shake hands with those who have different beliefs than me and have dinner with them. Stick up for what you believe but at the end of the day be civil and invite your foes to the supper table.”

If only more of us shared the same sentiments.

Craig Lloyd with his family.

Lloyd practices what he preaches. “Ten years ago, my father, and my siblings were looking for ways to help sustain the farm. It was agreed that we would diversify through Agritourism and prepped the facility for weddings and unique events.” 

Craig said he is proud of the partnership they formed with family members contributing energy into helping preserve the farm for future generations. 

The Lloyd Dairy Farm, like the world around him, has changed with the times. Now it grows soybeans, cotton, and hay.

Lloyd is the President of the Orange County Optimist Club, the organization in charge of putting on Hog Day. He is also focusing on building a new park called the Meridian Community in Efland, a 38-acre sports and recreation facility.

“We’re very excited about it,” Lloyd says. “It is a big step for us.

Annual concert Friday night before Saturday Hog Day start.

Hog Day, is Friday, September 13th from 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm and Saturday, September 14th from 10:00 am – 6:00 pm on East Margaret Lane in downtown Hillsborough.

There will be plenty of entertainment: music, arts and crafts vendors, and the ever-popular Pigs on Parade contest – and, of course, barbecue. Lots and lots of barbecues.

Hog Day invites artists to try their creativity at painting a replica hog.

Like his father Ben, a longtime leader in Orange County and recipient of North Carolina’s highest order, The Long Leaf Pine Award, Lloyd believes in building on strong foundations and preparing the next generation to keep on making a difference.

“Much of downtown Hillsborough reminds me of my daddy,” he says. “It’s old, but built on a really strong foundation so that it can continue to serve its county, its state and its country very well.”

Ben Lloyd.

Laurie Paolicelli is executive director for the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau, a position she has held since 2005. Laurie has worked in tourism and marketing for twenty-five years, having served in leadership roles in Houston and California convention and visitor bureaus. She is a native of the Twin Ports of Duluth, MN/Superior Wisconsin. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Communications from the University Wisconsin-Superior and graduate certification in Technology In Marketing from the UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media.
This reporter can be reached at Info@TheLocalReporter.press