|
The 2003 Hilltown Woods Fall Fling was held 18 October and was again hosted by the O'Malley's
and the Mixson's. Action began around 5 AM on the 18th and concluded with the normal group of
"die hards" sitting around the bon fire, draining the kegs and spinning yarns 'til 1:30 AM on
the 19th. 'Twas a long day!!
This year we had 23 families in attendance, 20 being from our neighborhood. If you wish the details, the sign up sheets show 55 adults, 26 kids under 8 and 35 kids over 8 attended. We were blessed with a day that was dry but a bit nippy and windy. That followed a nail biting week where we wondered if this year's excessive rain would mess up our event. Porky 2003 (weighing in at 92 pounds) was on the roaster at 06:10; the brunswick stew started at about the same time. Porky gave us a scare this year, though. He was supposed to be done mid-afternoon, but the charcoal had burned out before noon. In panic mode, we got extra, restoked the roaster and, heaven forbid, probed Porky's hams and shoulders with an electronic meat thermometer! True Pig Pickin' officianadas would likely be rolling their eyes and speaking in disgust of these "tin horns" trying to roast a pig. It turned out well, though. Porky was properly done...and we'll NEVER use self starting charcoal again! By late morning, the Brunswick stew was beginning to taste rather scrumptious. (My grand-daughter, Mallory, had had three bowls by noon...it must have been good!) People started arriving shortly after noon. A favorite early past time is sampling the Brunswick stew. At mid-afternoon the Silverdale fire company arrived...led by the chief's car followed by a pumper truck...sirens blaring. They really did well for us, talking fire safety, demonstrating their equipment, demonstrating fire extinguisher use and taking loads of kids around the neighborhood on the pumper truck. It was a wonderful thing for them to do and we appreciate it very much. ("Daisy Mae" the clown accompanied them, doing balloon figures and passing out fire hats to the kids. (Some kids looked pretty old to me!!)) By the time the fire company had finished their show, Jerry had hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken for them and for kids who might want to eat early. Shortly after that, Porky 2003 was chopped and we began to eat in ernest. Evening festivities consisted of hayrides, movies on the side of Jerry & Jennifer's house and, of course, the traditional bon fire. Glow necklaces were available for the kids; those are always a tremendous hit. (A word from the (now) wise...if you have these things in your yard, pick up the discards that night while they're still glowing. They're almost impossible to see in daylight and make a heck of a mess when the lawn mower hits them!!) The normal "die hard" group sat by the fire (trying (but failing) to drain the kegs) 'til about 1:30 AM. All in all, it was a wonderful event. For those who were not able to attend, plan for next year. My guess is the date will be October 16th, but, that is really TBD. I'm working on editing the pictures from this year's event. I'll let you know as soon as they're posted. jim |