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Spring Hill Set to Go Hog Wild at Country Ham Festival
By DAN COPPStaff Writer
As the temperature slowly but surely starts to make its descent, the time is once again ripe for another down-home Spring Hill Country Ham Festival to ring in the fall.
 | The Spring Hill Country Ham Fest will be on October 6th.
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Now in its fourth year, the Country Ham Festival is a celebration of everything porcine, from hog-calling contests to country ham curing competitions.
This year’s family friendly extravaganza will be held Oct. 6 at the Tennessee Children’s Home at 804 Branham Hughes Circle, right in the heart of downtown Spring Hill.
The Country Ham Festival outgrew its former stomping grounds at Rippavilla, Spring Hill Country Ham Foundation Co-Chairman Eric DeBerry said.
“We had to find a location that could not only accommodate our growing number of visitors, which is expected to reach 10,000 this year, but also provide ample parking and still be in Spring Hill,” DeBerry said. “The Tennessee Children’s Home is the perfect location.”
Spring Hill homebuilder John Maher Builders Inc. will serve its fourth consecutive year as the event’s title sponsor.
“We are once again excited and honored to participate as the title sponsor for the Spring Hill Country Ham Festival,” said John Maher Builders President John Maher. “We have a long standing tradition of giving back to the community, and every year we have seen how much Spring Hill has embraced the festival. It has grown bigger and better every year, and that’s a credit to the organizers and participants.”
Country Ham Festival organizers are also extending the fall event’s operating hours from 10 a.m. till 8 p.m. to accommodate the Ham Fest’s spirited fireworks display sponsored by Regions Bank, Publix, Kroger, Gateway Church and Dentistry by Design.
“Kroger is excited to be part of the Spring Hill Ham Festival for 2007,” said Spring Hill Kroger store manager Justin Adams. “The event continues to gain popularity in the community, and Kroger is proud to help sponsor an event such as this that gives back to the community.”
The pyrotechnics will cap off a fun-filled day filled with a kid’s zone sponsored by Williamson Medical Center, ornate arts and crafts booths, a smorgasbord of food sponsored by The Spring Hill Rotary Club and lots of unforgettable entertainment sponsored by Dippin’ Dots.
A kids’ coloring contest is being organized by Davis-Kidd Booksellers and the Loveless Caf/, and Charter Communications is sponsoring the “Pig Pen,” which includes the University of Tennessee/Georgia game on a big screen.
Of course, the Country Ham Festival wouldn’t be the same without its staple hog-calling contest.
Mid-State Title & Escrow has made the hog-calling competition one of the most popular events of the Country Ham Festival for the last years.
“I find it to be the central event of the Ham Festival and both in watching the participants and the crowd, it reminds me why my family lives in Spring Hill,” said Yvette Meldrum of Mid-State Title & Escrow Inc. “Spring Hill is a community of people living and experiencing life together, and it is truly Americana at its best watching someone call imaginary hogs.”
Community South has been sponsoring the ham-curing contest for three years now.
“We just think there are not many old-fashioned festivals around anymore,” said Pat Brittan of Community South. “With so many children in Spring Hill, we think it’s so wonderful to have an event where for $5 you can take the whole family and have good clean fun.”
The ever-popular ham tent is being provided by Clifty Farms, which tantalizes taste buds with its selection of smoked sausages, turkey slices, barbecue and of course country ham.
Williamson Medical Center will be on hand to provide health screenings and share important health-related information to festival goers.
“Williamson Medical Center has a long history of community outreach, and with our growing population we’ve identified key events like the Country Ham Festival that give us an opportunity to provide screenings and share important health information with hundreds of people,” Williamson Medical Center Community Outreach Coordinator Steven L. Dycus said. “As the anchor sponsor of the Kids Zone, we’ll have a chance to interact with young families who may need to learn their blood pressure or glucose numbers, or who may just need help with scraped knees or bee stings. It’s the type of service that positively affects the community - now and for years to come.”
Although the festival’s hours have been extended this year, the $5-per-carload admission price will remain unchanged, organizers said.
Stage sponsor Maury Regional Hospital has been a major participant of the Ham Fest since the event’s inception.
“We are glad to continue as a sponsor again this year,” said Maury Regional Hospital Director of Community Relations Cindy Fox. “We are happy to announce that our facility in Spring Hill, which includes Spring Hill Urgent Care and Spring Hill Imaging Center, will be joining along with us as the stage sponsor for this event. It will give us the opportunity to share information about the services we offer to the citizens of Spring Hill. In addition to that, we will be providing free blood pressure checks during the festival. It’s a very fun day for the entire family, but it’s even more exciting to know that proceeds from this event will help to benefit a worthwhile cause in the community. This makes us even more proud to be participating again this year.”
The Spring Hill Country Ham Festival Foundation is a non-profit organization that in past years has donated proceeds from the event to numerous charitable organizations.
A substantial benefactor of the 2007 Festival will be the Tennessee Children’s Home, which first opened in 1909 to provide refuge for orphaned, wayward and abused children.
More information on the Country Ham Festival can be obtained at www.countryhamfest.com, by e-mailing DeBerry at eric@deberryins.com or by calling 931-486-2274 ext. 218, 219.
2007 Spring Hill Country Ham Festival Sponsors
Title Sponsor: John Maher Builders
Stage Sponsor: Maury Regional Hospital, Spring Hill Imaging Center and Spring Hill Urgent Care
Kids Zone: Williamson Medical Center
Food Court: Spring Hill Rotary Club
Fireworks: Regions Bank, Publix, Kroger, Gateway Church, Dentistry by Design
Ham Tent: Clifty Farms Ham Curing Competition: Community South
Hog-Calling Contest: Mid-State Title and Escrow
Entertainment Sponsor: Dippin' Dots
Kids Coloring Contest: Davis-Kidd Booksellers, Loveless Caf/
“Pig Pen” sports coverage: Charter Communications
Volunteer Coordinator: Leslie Stevenson
Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at dcopp@c-dh.net.
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