Campus Pigs Out In Annual Ford Tradition

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Jake Durocher ’18, Billy Smith ’18, and Mr. Eberle. Credit: Mr. Syfu.

The 70-lb. farm animal caught some strange, curious looks on the quad as students, teachers, and alumni gathered for Ford Hall’s 3rd Annual pig roast on Sunday, May 13.

The quad brings the school together as a place to hang out or play games with each other, but this past weekend it was the center of attention as the Williston community patiently waited for dinner.

Mr. Syfu, a founding father of the Ford Hall pig roast, woke up at the rooster’s crow with Mr. Eberle to go pick up the pig from Outlook Farm, a short drive away in Westhampton, MA. Mr. Eberle, a mountain man some would say, fired up his  Toyota Tacoma and pulled out of the parking lot with some Garth Brooks playing to set the mood. I, along with Billy Smith, was there on the journey, which began at 6:00 a.m.

“It was a sight to be seen,” senior Billy Smith told The Willistonian as he witnessed the butcher preparing the pig on the spit. “This was my first time seeing a pig roast from start to finish. Let’s just say it’s a lot easier to look at them in the late afternoon, compared to 6:00 A.M.”

Mr. Syfu has done plenty of research these past couple of years and knew exactly how he wanted to season the meat. After a spill of the marinade, there was havoc in the Syfu household kitchen as the man in charge whipped up another batch.

Around 8:30 a.m. the pig was loaded on top of a jimmy-rigged fire place with cinder blocks, plywood, and a metal sheet to hold the coals.

It was then that the Williston campus came alive as the smell of the pig awoke the community. Alumni came to check out what all the hype was about. Headmaster Mr. Hill, had some questions about the lack of wood, and Tella, Mr. Eberle’s dog, had some unfinished business with the pig’s ears.

This sparked the rest of the day, as students and faculty came together for games of Spikeball, KanJam, Cornhole, and even a Ford Hall tradition, Jonah Ball, a game involving a tennis ball, a trashcan, and the brick patio outside Ford. With some country music playing, the crowd  grew larger as the day went on.

When the pig was fully cooked, it was as if someone rang the dinner bell. A crowd swarmed, like bees to honey: students from Mem, Conant, Sawyer, 194, and Hathaway all found their way to the quad in front of Ford.

With full plates and stomachs, the crowd slowly dispersed around 6:00, leaving the remains of the pig and a smoldering pile of coals and ashes. Another successful pig roast had come and gone.