EATON, Ohio — Every September, the Preble County Fairgrounds are flooded with tens of thousands of people hoping to get their fill of the region’s most famous meals as the smell of bacon, pork chops and sausage fills the air.
For its 51st year, the Preble County Pork Festival will return, though this year it took new management, last-minute plans and an influx of community support and volunteers.
What You Need To Know
- The Preble County Pork Festival was founded in 1970
- The festival brings more than 100,000 to the fairgrounds every year
- The event’s board announced its suspension this spring before new managers revived the festival
- Preble County estimates the event brings in millions in economic impact
- The festival will take place Sept. 17 and 18
April 19, hundreds of pork lovers were surprised and disappointed when the Preble County Pork Festival Board of Directors announced on Facebook that they had made the “incredibly difficult decision to suspend the festival for 2022.”
The post cited the rising cost of products, the difficulty of maintaining aging equipment and a lack of volunteer interest.
County Commissioner Adam Craft said the announcement left him and his fellow commissioners reeling.
“I’ve been coming here really since I was born,” he said. “It was almost like you’ve been, you know, kicked in the stomach.”
Almost immediately he said the board of commissioners heard community member after community member calling for them to do what they needed to keep the tradition and its millions of dollars in economic impact going.
“This festival had kind of supported Preble County,” he said. “People come from all across the country to visit Preble County, little old Preble County, that one weekend.”
As the commission looked for ways to bring new life to the festival, Megan Jamison-Griffis and her husband Robert Griffis stepped up to offer their services.
After working in event planning around the country, Megan, who was born and raised in Preble County, brought Robert back to her hometown four years ago, where they opened their own business, RMJG Events.
Historic photo of the festival in the late 70s (Courtesy Preble County Pork Festival Board)
Something like the Preble County Pork Festival was exactly the kind of thing, they’d spent their careers managing.
“Having done it, we know it can be done,” Robert said. “It’s two things, it’s people and it’s money.”
In June, the pair hit the ground running, announcing the event was back on and working to gather sponsors, volunteers and anything else they might need.
To start, they invested $100,000 of RMJG Events’ money, which the county matched.
“In my opinion, that’s what community service is all about,” Craft said. “To take the resources that we’ve been allocated and use it to best impact the community that we serve.”
Once the event was back on, the Griffis said they didn’t need to twist too many arms to get the community to buy in.
“We have over 250 vendors that come in every year and all of them said, absolutely we’ll be back,” Megan said.
Robert said what will secure the festival’s success, however, is the manpower they’ve been providing over the past several months.
“The biggest part of this whole thing, is how the community has sort of gathered around and said, ‘Hey we want to volunteer,’ and without the number of volunteers that have stepped up, this wouldn’t have even happened,” he said.
The Pork Festival dates back to 1970 when it began as a way to honor the pork producers of the county and educate the local community on their economic impact. It’s since grown into a celebration that includes a parade, live music, racing pigs and events to raise awareness about the Ohio pork industry.
The Preble County Pork festival will take place all day Sept. 17 and 18, with a kickoff concert and hot air balloon launch on Friday, Sept. 16.
