Monday, January 11, 2010
News Wild Hog Supper packs 'em in
Posted by Scott Henry @ScottTheHenry on Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 4:08 PM
Ah, the Wild Hog Supper, the annual barbecue bacchanal that precedes the opening of the General Assembly, last night attracted a sizable percentage of Georgia's political A-listers — and seemingly every single person planning to run for office across the state.
Sonny was in the hizouse — er, the Georgia Freight Depot, that is — as was Casey and Sen. Johnny Isakson. The Ox was there. So was former Secretary of State Karen Handel, while new SoS Brian Kemp and his peeps were already sporting re-election stickers.
I saw DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis, Fulton County Sheriff Ted Jackson, Cobb Commission Chairman Sam Olens and, of course, a boatload of state lawmakers, including new Speaker David Ralston. Surprisingly, I didn't see Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin, who, at six-and-a-half feet tall, is a pretty easy guy to spot, even in a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd like last night's.
At one point, I overheard DeKalb Commissioner Connie Stokes tell someone she was planning to run for Congress again — presumably against Hank Johnson. She'll need to do a lot better than last time, in 2004, when she came a very distant fourth, with a scant 5 percent of the vote.
As for the food, it was not a night for vegans or the cholesterol-averse. They were serving BBQ soaking in meat juices (aka grease), fried chicken, potato salad and peach cobbler with cream. My favorite, however, was the smell of the whole sides of pork roasting on the grill till they were blackened and crunchy. On several tables were huge mounds of fist-sized, freshly fried pork rinds.
And now, this morning, the Legislture has already opened for business. Let the wild rumpus begin!
Comments (4)
Showing 1-4 of 4
like
dislike
Truth be told, I didn't look a gift hog in the mouth, but after a little research, I discovered that the dinners have been sponsored for the past 47 years by the Addison family of Abbeville, Ga. Apparently, the tradition began in the mid-'50s, when "Boo" Addison, the founder of a boar-hunting preserve along the Ocmulgee River, brought several pigs up to Atlanta to fix for lawmakers. I couldn't make this shit up if I tried.
Latest in Fresh Loaf
-
5 things today: Kinky Friedman, Jim Norton 3
A Texas songwriter, a New Jersey comic, and a conductor walk into Atlanta...
-
Most popular damn posts o' the week
It's a rainy circus of elephants and occupiers out there
-
5 things today: Van Dyke Parks, Night Sun
Iconic composer Parks, new soul project Night Sun, and more
- More »
Author Archives
-
Beatys, Task Force is out of Peachtree-Pine in 10 days — UPDATE 50
Task Force for Homeless has less than two weeks to clear out
-
Restaurant attire: Step it up, people, and dress to the occasion 45
- More »
