2^nd annual HOGtoberfest to benefit Good Samaritan Fund

Fiends of Meadowlark Hills have a fun and tasty opportunity to support the Meadowlark Hills Foundation’s Good Samaritan Fund when the doors to Cox Bros. BBQ open at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29. Brothers Bud and Bobby Cox, sons of Meadowlark Hills residents Newton and Ellie Cox, pledge to donate 10% of that day’s proceeds to the Fund. 

Food specials on Oct. 29, at Cox Bros. BBQ, 223 McCall Road,  include pulled pork sliders for $2 each, available from the restaurant’s opening to closing at 9 p.m., and a hog roast buffet beginning at 6 p.m. In addition, anyone who makes a Cox Bros. BBQ purchase on Oct. 29 may register to win a door prize: a barbecue meal for 10! Residents and employees who purchased a HOGtoberfest T-shirt also will be entered to win the door prize. The package includes two meats, two sides as well as buns, sauce, pickles and disposable dinnerware.

Two new additions this year at the barbecue restaurant are a nod to traditional Oktoberfest favorites. Live music will be provided by accordion player Rusty Shwerdt, and a beer tasting and buying station will be operated by Flint Hills Beverage.

HOGtoberfest would certainly be fun with just barbecue, brews and music, but keep reading, there’s more! In order to create additional opportunities to raise money and awareness for the Good Samaritan Fund, a Hog & Kisses Contest will begin Oct. 1, and chances will be sold for two prizes: a Louisiana Grill package and a K-State Football Experience.

Five hog kissing candidates will solicit votes in the form of dollars, with the candidate collecting the most money kissing a baby hog shortly after 6 p.m. on Oct. 29 at Cox Bros. Our little hog was born a few weeks ago at Doug & Clara Ebert Farms, St. George, so her snout will be just the right size for smooching by the end of October.

The kissing candidates are our own Lonnie Baker, Meadowlark Hills CEO; Lori Bishop, executive director of the Flint Hills Volunteer Center; Bud Cox, co-owner of Cox Bros. BBQ and Coco Bolos restaurants; Vern Henricks, president and CEO at Greater Manhattan Community Foundation, and Kevin Lull, commercial lender at Intrust Bank and a member of the Meadowlark Hills Board of Trustees. Last year, KSU Chief of Staff Jackie Hartman, daughter of Meadowlark Hills resident Pat Hartman and one of our Foundation board members, was our top vote-getter and pig kisser, with Lonnie coming in second.

Vote for the candidate of your choice by donating online beginning Oct. 1 at www.meadowlark.org. Persons who’d like to vote for Lonnie also may do so by placing cash or a check in his hog jar, which will be located at the Hospitality Desk.  

The grill package, with a retail value of $1,100.75, includes a Louisiana Grill LG700 series grill/smoker, a quick-move side shelf, a 40-pound bag of wood pellets and a $200 gift card that may be used at The Backyard Kitchen for outdoor cooking accessories, such as pellets, sauces, rubs, etc.

The K-State Football Experience, available on Nov. 21 when the Wildcats meet the Iowa State Cyclones at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, features an all-you-can-eat-and-drink pre-game meal with the Cox Brothers at their tailgate party spot in Cat Town, two prime, chairback seats for the game and a football signed by college football Hall of Fame coach Bill Snyder. The game tickets/seats, donated by Meadowlark Hills resident Kip Williams, are located on the stadium’s west side at the top of section six at about the 35-yard line.

Prize tickets are $1 each or six for $5 and may be purchased beginning Oct. 1 at the Hospitality Desk.

Residents and employees who purchased HOGtoberfest T-shirts are invited to wear them on a special Jeans Day for employees on Wednesday, Oct. 21, and on the day of the event. Employees who pay at least a $1 on Oct. 21 may wear jeans, and those dollars will support Lonnie’s hog kissing candidacy.

Monte Spiller, Resident Services Leader, is working to arrange free transportation to Cox Bros. on Oct. 29 for those who would like a ride. Watch future Messengers and the Blue Book for a departure time and registration sheet.

HOGtoberfest wouldn’t be possible without the help of local businesses. In addition to Cox Bros. BBQ, Meadowlark Hills Foundation would like to acknowledge returning sponsors McCullough Development and Q 103.5 as well as a new sponsor, Flint Hills Beverage. 

Please circle Oct. 29 on your calendars and support HOGtoberfest in one of the ways described. It’s sure to be a day of FOOD, FRIENDS and FUNdraising!