HARROD, Ohio (WLIO) β The Harrod Pork Rind Festival is back for its 36th year, bringing food, entertainment and community spirit to eastern Allen County.
The two-day festival kicked off Friday with the games, activities and signature pork rinds that have made it a summer tradition for generations. Organizers say proceeds from the event help support scholarships, the Allen East Robotics Team, 4-H groups and other nonprofit organizations throughout the area.
The annual festival continues to draw visitors from across the region, many of whom return year after year to reconnect with friends and family.
βIt's kind of a kick-off to the summer. it gets everybody out. The whole community comes out and has a great time. It does turn into a reunion of sorts. We see people that graduated from Allen East and surrounding areas, they come back year after year. Sometimes just for this festival,β said Kyle Hawk, president of the Harrod Pork Rind Festival Committee.
One of the festival's biggest attractions remains its fresh pork rinds, prepared by volunteers from the Westminster Fire Department.
βI've been working at Rudolph Foods for 38 years, so. I got Pork Rind grease in my blood, I believe. So, people come from all over. We've had people from Southern Ohio last year come up just to get pork rinds,β said Terry Shaw of the Westminster Fire Department.
Festival activities continue Saturday with a full schedule of events, including a parade at noon, a car cruise-in at 1 p.m., the Happy Birthday America Ceremony at 3:30 p.m., WAR Wrestling at 5 p.m., a performance by The Temps at 7 p.m. and the Adult Pig Calling Contest at 8 p.m.
Additional information about the festival is available at porkrindfest.com.
