ROCKINGHAM – Keeping the agenda simple and consistent has been the winning recipe for the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce’s annual event, Hoptoberfest. Every year there has been a band, wing competition and craft beer. Held in the TriCity shopping center’s ample parking lot, this is a fund raiser for the Chamber, and a fun event for the community.
Good community sponsors have been integral to the event. Emily Tucker, Chamber President, says that the partnership between the Chamber and TriCity, Inc. has been a great one, “we couldn’t do this without them.” Perdue is has also been a main sponsor every year, providing the wings for the contestants.
Good music is always a welcome addition to an outdoor event and “Men of Distinction” was the band this year. Kenneth Robinette has been the band sponsor for all four years.
Eight teams were in the lineup for the wing competition this year, several were winning teams returning from previous years. “Hogfathers,” a team made up of Butch Bouldin, Paul Simmons and Jay Davis, was competing for the fourth time. They were the “People’s Choice“ winner in 2017. When asked if their team cooks for other events, Bouldin stated they “occasionally do, maybe a couple of times a year.” They have recently been as far as Charleston to participate in a wing cooking contest.
The City of Rockingham fire department had a team; it was their fourth year in the competition as well. Picked as the winning team last year, they were back to defend their title. When asked how often they cook, the response from Vernon McKinnon, assistant chief, was, “All the time; we are always cooking at the fire department.”
Local businesses are encouraged to set up information booths at the event as well for networking opportunities. Tim Hayden, owner of Hayden Construction, Inc., has been a participant for three years. A longtime member of the Chamber, Tim states the event allows him to “have a great time with the community and my employees while at the same time giving me a chance to meet prospective new customers.”
Starting out in October, 2015 with 400 tickets, the Chamber has increased the number of tickets sold each year. This year the event was sold out at 750 tickets. Ken Hartley, plant manager at Therafirm in Hamlet and current Chamber Board of Directors chairman, said “The bar is raised every year for this event. The sponsors, TriCity and Perdue are outstanding, the volunteers work hard and it’s a great crowd.”
The wing competition was won this year by “Hogfathers,” while the second place team was “Lord of the Wings,” a team captained by Ray Herndon. The People’s Choice was “Hogfathers” as well.
For information about becoming a member of the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce or any of their upcoming events, call their office at (910) 895-9058.
