Posted by Lisabeth Tunell:

This years festival runs Friday 6 to 11 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with an eat-local theme.

The festival attracting more than 25,000 people will feature live music, food, a car show and children's games. On Saturday, a locally raised pig will be roasted all day and served to the crowd.

Organizers could not find a local organic farmer who could supply 3,000 lbs of meat for Saturday's pork cook-off, they did purchase hams and shoulders from pitmaster Ed Mitchell's network of Eastern North Carolina farmers, who raise pigs that are hormone-free, antibiotic-free and fed all-natural grain.

Mitchell, who co-owns The Pit in Raleigh, will not only judge Friday's ribs cook-off between 9 and 11 p.m. but then at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Mitchell will then judge the shoulders and hams cook-off with the help of Walter Royal, executive chef of Raleigh's Angus Barn and the musical chef Mel Melton of Papa Mojo's Roadhouse. Should be an interesting event......

For more information, go to www.hogdays.com