The North Carolina Mason

Page 8 The North Carolina Mason July/August 2011 Corn Bread Man Ray Wheeler serves up his specialty at the Pig Jig. Kids of all ages enjoyed the Carolina Pig Jig. Pig Jig has most entries ever, and maybe the most fun By Mike Sterling RALEIGH — Raleigh 500 hosted the sixth annual Carolina Pig Jig barbecue festival and charity fundraiser at the NC State Fairgrounds on May 21. The festival is the largest Masonic-only barbecue competition of its kind in North America. This year, 33 Masonic organizations from as far away as Dela- ware (Doric 30 in Millville, Delaware) joined together and com- peted for the title of Barbecue Grand Champions. The contest attracted more than 3,000 attendees and helped raise more than $5,000 for the Masonic Home For Children and Central Chil- dren’s Home, both in Oxford. Created in 2006, the Carolina Pig Jig is a friendly barbecue competition among Freemasons where the public is also invited to sample a wide variety of regional barbecue for only ten dollars per person. The competition also coincides with the NC Depart- ment of Agriculture’s annual Got To Be NC Festival. The Pig Jig is one of the chief attractions of the Festival. This year’s Grand Champion award went to Raleigh’s Hiram 40. Salem 289 again took the People’s Choice award. Mentor 55 (PHA) took the Team Spirit prize. In this issue of The NC Mason Pig Jig lines were manageable this year. In the Barbecue Pork Division, first place went to Orphans 761, second to J. J. Crowder 743, and third to Hiram 40. First place in the barbecue chicken division went to Spurmont 98 (Virginia), see PIG JIG, page 7 Corn Bread Man is a Tar Heel entrepreneur By Ric Carter SELMA — Let Wall Street rave as it will about their entrepre- neur sweethearts with their MBA educations from high-powered universities. Let them run up their stock prices and deploy their golden parachutes after dumping hundreds of local employee neighbors. You can have them every one. Give me a real American entrepreneur like The Corn Bread Man — Ray Wheeler. “I’m a dreamer, always dreaming something up,” smiles Kenly 257 member Ray Wheeler. Ray joined the lodge in 1961. Born to tenant farmers, Ray and his wife Betty were newly- weds when he went to work at Atkinson’s Mill in 1958. The grist mill had been in the same family since it first opened in 1757, grinding corn with power supplied by the currents and a dam on the New River on Highway 42 east of Clayton. Ray didn’t know anything about the business, but he was quick to learn and not ashamed to ask advice of those who did know the business. Soon, Ray was running the mill and catching on. Miss Betty soon had one child and then a second. Before long, she had fol- lowed Ray in learning to run the Mill. She quit her job at the shirt see WHEELER, page 2 NORTH CAROLINA The Mason Volume 136 Number 4 page 1 Annual Communication coming September 23–24 July/August 2011 page 1 Cornerstone dedicated on WhiteStone expansion page 8 Corn Bread Man Ray Wheeler page 8 Sixth annual Pig Jig attracts big, hungry crowd Another good time was had by all when they held the Sixth Annual Masonic Pig Jig AgFest in May. Check out the news and views of the event in this issue of The North Carolina Mason. The North Carolina Mason The Grand Lodge of North Carolina, AF&AM 600 College Street Oxford, North Carolina 27565 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED NON-PROFIT ORG. AUTO U.S. POSTAGE OXFORD, NC 27565 PERMIT NO. 56 PAID Ric Car ter photos Ric Car ter photo Ric Car ter photo

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