Black River Technical College employees President Martin Eggensperger, Dean of Business and Technical Education Phillip Dickson, and Communication Specialist Jessica Rainwater were in attendance Saturday at the Eddie Mae Herron Hog Butchering Annual Event/Fundraiser.
The hog butchering is an annual all-day educational event/ fundraiser in which individuals learn how hogs were cut up and wrapped like they were in the days before refrigeration and gives people an idea of what it was like living in the time period of their grandparents and great grandparents.
A crew from the Smithsonian were also on site to document the Black History Month event for a documentary that will be released later this year.
Eggensperger helped string the hog up, so it could be butchered by Josh Jansen. Jason is the son of late David Jansen who had butchered the hog every year since the events inception in 2003.
Dickson, Cubmaster of Cub scout Pack 45, along with Boy scout Troop 45, and Scout Troop 6045G cut up meat to make chitlins that would later be auctioned off during the fundraisers auction. Retired BRTC employee Jan Ziegler was also on hand to help out. She helped make sausage and cook, while her husband Ken Ziegler helped out with
Before the butchering began everyone in attendance guessed the weight of the hog and Eggensperger won with a guess of 275 pounds. He won sausage from the hog after it was butchered.
After the hog butchering the center fed the attendees lunch and entertained them with music from the St. Louis Metro Singers. Approximately 100 people enjoyed the learning experience and fellowship.
