Submitted by Becky Fitzgerald

2^nd annual HOGtoberfest to benefit Good Samaritan Fund

Friends 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, a sausage sampler platter for $9.99 and, beginning at 6 p.m., a hog roast buffet for $12.95. 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! 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 Schwerdt, 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 is ongoing, and chances are available for two prizes: a Louisiana Grill package and a K-State Football Experience.

Five hog kissing candidates are soliciting 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 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. Vote for the candidate of your choice by donating online beginning 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 is located at the Meadowlark Hills 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 or by calling 785-323-3847.

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!