02/22/2018
After 44 years, we have reluctantly decided that it is time to say goodbye to the Virginia Pork Festival. This has been a very painful decision to make, however, we would like to end this run on a positive note. This festival would never have existed without the support of hometown, Emporia and the Emporia/Greensville Ruritan Club, the County and all law-enforcement.
There are so many people that have been a part of the festival throughout the years, that it would be impossible to list them all and not miss someone.
To all the bands, especially Craig Woolard and the Embers, thanks for the many years of great entertainment that you brought to the festival.
Boars Head, Gunnoe’s , Stevens Sauage and Smithfield meats, you deserve applause and our taste buds thank you for the quality pork products throughout the years.
To the Sadler family, the Pecht family and Pecht Distributing, we truly appreciate your years of dedication and loyalty.
Our nonprofit organizations and other groups that prepared all of the pork dishes, we love you and we will truly miss each of you. The long hours of preparation and your dedication to this festival are not to be forgotten.
Last, but definitely not least, we will miss our attendees. You guys came from all over. We’ve even had people from Hawaii. We hope that you have enjoyed our hospitality as much as we enjoyed seeing you walk through those gates and there were a lot of you! We understand that this festival was a yearly tradition for many and we are truly humbled that you chose to spend your valuable time with us in Emporia.
It has become difficult for our group, of the last three years, to operate, raise adequate funds and sustain enough volunteers to carry on an event of this magnitude to make it what it deserves to be and should be, after the festival suffered many years before.
Always remember, we came together for a common cause, on a hot June afternoon, once a year, only for a few short hours, to eat pork dishes, drink some cold beverages, dance to some good music and be a part of the Virginia Pork Festival one more time. We did it together, all of us. So we are choosing to go out gracefully as the sun sets once more, on the pond in the middle of the festival grounds. We wave farewell to you and we thank you for the many years of good times and great memories.
The Virginia Pork Festival
