The Dairy Blog

The 4^th of July is a special day to many people.  It is certainly special to my family.  In 1973, my wife and I and another couple started a 4^th of July party.  It is a time when families get together, friends visit and we celebrate the freedoms we enjoy.  We normally have 125 to 200 people participating; however, this year was a little slow.  I think we had about 130, but it was hard to tell because we had a severe thunderstorm at dinner time.  Obviously, this party has become a tradition for us.

We cook a hog, a big pot of beans, boil peanuts, and serve coleslaw and sliced tomatoes.  Many of the folks who join us will bring hors d'oeuvres and desserts.  We have a variety of beverages.  One favorite is Mayfield Lemonade.  We play volleyball, pitch horseshoes and have an egg toss.

Volleyball used to be very competitive.  Each member of the winning team gets a “Hog Cooking” T-shirt.  However, most of the participants now are our children and their friends.  I still participate, but I am a setter - not a spiker.

The horseshoe match is hit or miss, depending on who attends.  But, the winning team gets a T-shirt also.  This year we had no horseshoe takers.

The grand finale of competition is the egg toss. Two-person teams toss a raw egg back and forth, increasing the distance between them until only one couple has an unbroken egg.  This competition creates some great photo opportunities.  Unfortunately, the thunderstorm eliminated the egg toss.

The last few years my son, Charles, has put together a fireworks display that is great.  By the time darkness was available for the show, the thunderstorm had passed.  He tapes fuses together so he can light the display one time and it runs for about 10 minutes.

We actually dressed the hogs ourselves during the first few years of this party, with the help of some friends.  Now, we are able to get a whole hog from Ed’s Meats in Cleveland, TN, which makes it much easier.

When we started this tradition, my friend and I would stay up most of the night cooking the hog.  After 5 or 6 versions of cookers, some homemade and now professionally made, we are able to enjoy a good night’s sleep while cooking.  We usually have some ribs early in the day for lunch and then the shoulders, hams and tenderloin for dinner.

The thunderstorm came in the middle of the volleyball tournament, which delayed serving the food.  Everyone ran into the garage and the house to seek cover.  We played volleyball in the rain until the lightning/thunder got too close; then it was time to eat.

We have many visitors from out of town and some of them enjoyed the 4^th of July parade in Sweetwater.  Most folks leave after dinner for the Athens Regional Park to watch the fireworks display there.  It is so nice to hear of all the celebrations that take place on the 4^th.  I am glad so many people realize how lucky we are to enjoy the freedoms we have.

I hope everyone out there had a great 4^th of July.

I cannot close without mentioning the election of our ice cream flavors.  As you may know, we (Mayfield) introduced four (4) new flavors this spring and will keep them in the line until next spring.  We are presently holding an election to see which flavor becomes a permanent flavor. 

You can vote on-line at www.mayfieldvote.com or by calling

1-866-789-VOTE.  The new flavors are Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, Triple Brownie, Extreme Moose Tracks and Blueberry Cream Pie.  You may find it interesting to know that our polling experts say that Blueberry is leading by a narrow margin over Extreme Moose Tracks. 

Thanks again for blogging on the Mayfield blog - www.thedairyblog.com.

Scottie Mayfield