'Pig plates' fly in Powellsville

Pigs may not be able to fly, but BBQ pork flew out of the Powellsville Volunteer Fire Station last Saturday.

At 6 a.m., volunteers rolled 5,315 pounds of overnight slow roasted pork into the Powellsville station in preparation of the department’s 44th annual Pork BBQ.

Over 30 volunteers proceeded to pull, sort, grind and season the fall off the bone meat readying for the thousands of BBQ lovers awaiting the pork plates to either eat-in or take-out. This would be a hefty task for most communities of a mere 187 residents, however, the event has become a yearly tradition for families far and wide.

Much of the pork found homes on other dinner tables across county lines. The amount of plates and pound containers sold reflects that.

“This year, we served about 1,400 take-out or eat-in dinners on Saturday, and packed another 1,900 one-pound cups for sale. Over the last few years we have prepared sufficient amounts and we haven’t run out,” said Powellsville Volunteer Fire Department Treasurer Ernie Carter. “Usually we have leftover pounds that are sold in a few days after the event in the one pound cups after it is frozen following the event.

“A lot of people buy 10 or 15 pounds to share with family or use over a few months as an easily heated up meal with coleslaw and potatoes or for making sandwiches,” explained Carter.

Originally the event was held at the Powellsville Community Building and whole hogs were prepared. The original fundraiser was held to pay debt incurred when the fire station was expanded. That tradition also holds true.

“Over the years the sale of prepared pork barbecue has expanded and we sell more that way than in dinners,” said Carter.

All of the proceeds from the fundraiser are targeted towards fire station expenses.

“I don’t think that most citizens understand that the people who serve the department are not paid a cent for their service as volunteers on the fire department,” explained Carter. “Our department was started in 1956 and has served the town of Powellsville and the surrounding community since that time.”

The majority of the volunteers don’t actually live in town, but are spread in a wide area mostly within the fire district the department covers.

The funds raised are used to pay the department’s operating expenses, including insuring the building and equipment and providing workers comp insurance and other insurance benefits for the volunteers. Escalating costs in fuel, tires and equipment purchases absorb much of the department’s budget.

“Although we receive funding from Bertie County quarterly as part of its budget to assist firefighters, it does not nearly cover the expenses of running a fire department, even when we are all volunteers,” noted Carter.

“We currently have 32 volunteers on our roster, several of whom are “retired” under the service requirements in the state, but still remain active volunteers both in firefighting and in helping with the fundraising, training and other activities of the department,” said Carter. “We are very appreciative of all the volunteers that are not members of our fire department.”

The Powellsville Ladies’ Auxiliary organizes and assists with the BBQ offering their time either making coleslaw, cutting potatoes, packing, serving and selling the plates that seemed to fly out of Powellsville.