2012 – It was the BEST Hog Day EVER
Great BBQ (we sold out at 2 pm!), Great Music, Great Vendors, Great MC (Thank you Ron Stutts of WCHL!), Great Weather, Great Cookers, Great Sponsors, Great Committee Members, Great Community Involvement, and, Most of All GREAT VOLUNTEERS!!!!!

Absolutely NO pets allowed at Hogg Day.  This is a tobacco-free event.

What is Hillsborough Hogg Day?

A better question would be “What isn’t Hillsborough Hogg Day?”

Now celebrating its 31st Anniversary, Hillsborough Hogg Day offers family fun, good food, live music, crafters, merchandise vendors, games and rides, and a classic auto show.

In 2013, Hogg Day will undergo a number of changes, starting with — its NAME!  You may have noticed that there’s an extra “g” involved. The Hogg Day Committee wishes to incorporate some of Hillsborough’s great history, including as one of North Carolina’s three Colonial capitals, by renaming its biggest event to honor James Hogg.  Mr. Hogg was a merchant who left his native Scotland in 1774, moved to North Carolina, and became a partner in the Transylvania Company, a Trustee of the University of North Carolina and a leader in patriot activity as a member of the Hillsborough Safety Committee.  His home was located near River Park, the Hogg Day site, and his grave is two blocks in the other direction!

Hogg Day will still begin on Friday night, with music, activities for kids, lots of different foods, and the smell of cooking pork. We’ve doubled the number of food vendors, including several local food trucks.  All food will be purchased using “scrip” – tickets with a value of either $5 or $1  – NO Cash will be accepted at food booths.

Barbecue will be provided all day Saturday by two time Hog Day winner Mark Johnson of Hog Heaven Barbecue.

And we have changed our BBQ competition.  In previous years, each cooker team was responsible for cooking up to 10 shoulders or hams, leaving little room for the casual competitor or for those who might not be as enamored of pork bbq.  In 2013, cooker teams can compete to prepared pork ribs, chicken, pork barbecue and anything but (anything but pork, chicken and ribs) or compete in all four categories to be proclaimed Grand Champion!

Friday’s Competition in the Chicken category will be judged at 9 pm.  Competition in the Pork Ribs category will be judged at 10 pm.  Winners will be announced at 11 pm on Friday, May 17.

Saturday’s Competition categories are in the Pork BBQ category (judged at 10 am); Anything But category will be judged at noon. Winners in these categories and the Grand Champion cooker team will be announced at 1 pm on Saturday, May 18.  Click HERE to download a Cooker Application and get more information.

And you still get to visit with great vendors – Arts and Crafts, Hillsborough-area businesses and Chamber members, local non-profit organizations, and other vendors.

Thanks to the sponsorship of Duke Energy, The Triangle Thunder Cruisers will present the area’s largest car show, featuring hot-rods, street rods, classics and vintage automobiles from all over the area. Formed in July, 2007, the Triangle Thunder Cruisers were initially a group of men, small business owners, professionals and the working force mixed in age and race who got together and formed the Triangle Thunder Cruisers with the intent of being a positive impact to the Triangle cities’ youth and civic community. Their message is a simple one and they offer young men the opportunity to tag along with them rather than roam the street in gangs. They encourage their members to each sponsor a youth headed in the wrong direction and bring him along to cruises, car shows and civic duties.

On the stage, the band is warming up for a day full of fine music. In the past, we’ve welcomed Flatline, The Big Time Party Band, Hot Rooster, The Doc Branch Band, The Craig Woolard Band,  Terry Anderson & the OAK Team, and American Idol Contestant Heather Cox! Past performers have included The Derek Trucks Band, Coastline Band, Tres Chicas, Chatham County Line, Mike Cross, General Johnson and the Chairman of the Board, and many other locally and nationally famous performers. Come early to get a good seat for the performers!

And the best part: admission to this festival is FREE! What an entertainment bargain!

Orange County’s largest festival, with attendance of up to 35,000 people, is henceforth to be held on the 3rd Saturday of May, so mark your calendars.