Chittlin’ Supper set for February 28

ARLEY - Politicians and the public will not have to be hog-tied to get them to attend the 67th annual chittlin’ supper, where deep fried hog intestines are worth their weight in gold for the Meek High School Band of Champions.
This year’s event will be Saturday, Feb. 28, from  4-8 p.m. at the Meek Elementary School cafeteria, where politicians will be speaking ahead of the May 19 primary elections, to the tune of $100 for five minutes, stressed Meek Band Director Zack Cleghorn.
Those who would like to speak at this year’s supper can contact Meek High School at (205) 384-5825, or visit the Winston County Chittlin’ Eaters Association Facebook page, Cleghorn said.
Tickets for the chittlin' supper are $15 for the general public, $12 for first responders and veterans and $10 for students up to 6th grade.  Tickets can be purchased in advance, but will also be sold at the door, according to Cleghorn.
The menu will consist of grilled chicken or chittlins',  slaw, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, cracklin’ corn bread, tea, buttermilk or water.
The emcee for this year’s event is Jeh Jeh Pruitt from WBRC Fox 6 in Birmingham, according to organizers.
Competitions for hog calling, buck dancing and the highly coveted crowning of the Chittlin' King and Queen (chosen by the MHS students and staff) will be key events of the evening, according to organizers.

Funding crucial to MHS band program

All of the proceeds from these suppers each year have meant new instruments or instrument repair for band students, as well as have assisted in paying for band trips, Cleghorn said.
A portion of the proceeds for the band this year will also come from chittlin’ supper T-shirt sales.  The front of the shirt reads “Established 1959, 67th Annual Chittin Supper, featuring a large pig’s head, Cleghorn described. 
This year, instead of listing all the sponsors on the back of the shirt, sponsors will be listed on a large banner that will be displayed over the stage, Cleghorn stated.
Future Builder Sponsors, or the highest level of sponsorship, will be listed on the back of the T-shirt, as well as on the display banner, according to Cleghorn.
The supper last year raised between $4,000 and $5,000 for the band of champions, but Cleghorn expects this year’s event to raise even more, since it falls on an election year.

Uniforms top 
band needs list

Uniforms top the need list for the band of champions this year, organizers said.
“This event really is our budget for the entire year, for everything we do, whether it’s instrument repair, instrument maintenance, new instruments.  Anything we do, we pull from this,” Cleghorn stated. 
New uniforms are next on the wish list, as band uniforms have not been updated since at least the mid 1990s, Cleghorn explained.
MHS senior and band student Amy Farmer noted new uniforms would mean much less work for her, since she is the officials seamstress for the band, she said.
A band student the past eight years, Farmer stressed, “Our uniforms are extremely, extremely old and they rip so very often.  I am the sewer of the band, so I fix all the things that break when it comes to uniforms.
“I have spent so many hours just sewing them up and trying to sew on buttons and fix everything that is wrong with them, just because they are old,” Farmer stated.
Band senior Jesse Vines said new uniforms are desperately needed for the band program. 
“Fixing them up all the time is a hassle,” Vines said. “Amy is having to carry a sewing kit with her on the bus. The buttons fall off and they break when we are marching, as well.”
Since this is a political year, Cleghorn is hoping that uniforms can be purchased. 
Instead of having several live musical acts at the chittlin’ supper, as in years past, this year’s musical entertainment will be provided solely by the group Cowgirl Up, Cleghorn said.

Chittlin’ cleaning 
a band student
 tradition

Band students kept the annual tradition of meeting at the school recently to clean the chittlins’, in preparation for the upcoming supper, Cleghorn said.
The chittlins’ are cut into bite-size morsels, cleaned, boiled, washed, pressure cooked, then are placed into bags in the freezer until the day of supper, Cleghorn explained.
Meek High School Principal Allan Henderson  stressed the chittlin’ supper is a big part of the band program.
“It’s really a big tradition here at Meek High School that is known pretty much statewide, probably even farther out than that,” Henderson said.
“It’s always a fun time,” he added. “You meet a lot of unique people. It always draws a good crowd. There are a lot of fun things to do
“Our band, unlike a lot of athletics (programs), they don’t have a way of producing revenue,” stated Winston County Schools Superintendent Jeff Scott.
“This is huge for them to be able to meet the needs of their budget, as far as travel and uniforms.  They have a lot of expense,” Scott added. “This is their way of being able to budget and prepare for all of those things.”
Scott not only supports the band by his attendance at the supper, but has also tried a chittlin’, he said.
“I’d like to ask people to come out and support the Meek band,” Scott concluded.
The following are sponsorship levels for the chittlin’ supper: Future Builder Sponsor: $10,000; Champion $5,000; Tiger $2,500; All State $1,000; Best in Class $500; Superior Ratings $250 and Legacy $100.