Pork in the park aims to be more of a community event
Pork in the park at one time was known for being a barbecue competition, but over the past three years that’s changed according to county officials.
“We’ve really wanted to change it to a community event, we wanted to get more family friendly out here add a lot more attractions that are going to be family oriented,” said Andy Kitzrow, with Wicomico County parks and recreation.
To make it even more family friendly, this year the county added hot air balloons and made it pet friendly.
Event goers 47 ABC spoke to said they liked the change.
“People will go anywhere if they know they can bring their pets,” said Brandy Durst, who brought her pet with her.
“I think it’s wonderful. I think it’s great, especially when you have kids and you have your whole family you can bring out and do more than just eat barbecue, there’s a little bit of everything for everybody,” said Brooke Barns.
According to the county, after paying off their costs for the festival, the rest of the proceeds go to the Wicomico County Friends of Recreation and Parks “Tomorrow Fund.”
“All the money we generate from this goes into that fund and that fund is a scholarship fundraiser for youth who want to participate in our after-school programs or summer camps and our youth sports organizations,” Kitzrow said.
Kitzrow referred to the event as a “nice big cycle” because families come in and pay for the entrance fee, and then that money in funneled directly back into the county to help other families.
Wicomico County teacher Starla Banks, who 47 ABC caught up with at the event, said she loves that her money is going to help kids in the community.
“As a teacher in Wicomico County, I think that’s an excellent idea, we need to find things for our children to do during the summer other than run around on the street,” Banks said.
County officials tell 47 ABC the deadline for those in the county to apply for a scholarship for summer camp is May 1, however that is a “soft deadline”. To find more information, click here to go to the county’s website.
