34 years ago the Eastern North Carolina town of Newport was in need of money to support the Newport Developmental Center for handicapped children. While soliciting fundraising ideas, some locals suggested a pig cooking contest. Newport is, after all, right in the middle of North Carolina's whole hog BBQ territory.

With the help of several volunteers, the first ever Newport Pig Cooking Contest was held in 1979. That day saw 42 hogs cooked and nearly $15,000 raised for the developmental center. Since that inaugural event, the contest has grown into what organizers say is the "Largest Whole Hog" contest in the United States. This year, 80 competition teams from all over the region joined the fray and cooked hogs with the proceeds still being donated to worthy local charities.

As luck would have it, Katie and I had scheduled a short vacation to Atlantic Beach on the same weekend that neighboring Newport held its 2012 contest. The weather report was ominous, but we decided to make the short trip anyway to check out the festivities.

Held in a community park near the epicenter of town, the event wasn't hard to find. When we arrived around 10:00 a.m., the event was in full swing. Craft vendors were open, carnival rides were rolling, volunteers were pig pickin and Elvis was performing.

Elvis impersonator: Ryder Preston

We hit the contest just as the second round of judging had gotten underway. Several of the cook teams were putting the finishing touches on their hog displays. After roaming the grounds and taking in the sights and smells of 80 hogs being cooked, our stomachs guided us to the food tent where volunteers were picking, chopping and serving Eastern NC style BBQ plates.