Bacon taken by ham burglar, but the sow will go on at Avondale pig roast and seed swap
When $7,000 worth of pork was stolen over the weekend from Excelsior School, a pig roast planned for the Grass Roots Seed Swap in Avondale on Saturday might have been canceled, but luckily a replacement pig was found and brined.
The "sow" can now go on as planned.
The seed swap and barbecue will start at 11 a.m. Saturday at Nola Naturals, 46000 Olson Road, in Avondale, said Nick Perchess, a first-generation farmer who runs about 60 head of hogs on the farm.
Perchess uses the farmer-owned and operated cooperative at the former Excelsior Middle School building in Boone to store meat. She was at the school Saturday to pull a hog so it could defrost in a walk-in cooler.
"Everything was locked up. When we went in to brine it on Monday, the front door was open and they stole five pigs — about $7,000 worth of pork ― half a cow, food cases, carts and a bunch of other stuff from the makers kitchen," Perchess explained.
When the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office was called to investigate, Perchess learned that break ins also have occurred at Vineland Elementary and South High School in recent weeks. The Excelsior site has been run as a nonprofit cooperative for local farmers for 14 years and it has relied heavily on grant funding from the state, she said.
Now it's being equipped with security cameras and deadbolt locks.
"It's a major bummer," she said. "It takes us 10 months to grow out the pigs and everyone knew we were having a pork roast."
"It's really unfortunate when they are stealing from a local business that is struggling to stay alive. But the show must go on," she said. "We had a handful of pigs that were close to market weight, so we processed another pig the next day. We are still having the roast."
The event kicks off at 11 a.m. Saturday with guest speakers, vendors, the seed swap and a kids corner. The community garden event is ideal for growers who want to get started gardening.
The pig roast will kick off about 2:30 p.m. Saturday and feature the smoked pork, organic potato salad, Pueblo baked beans, and a fresh greens salad with spring asparagus. The cost is $20.
For tickets or more information, go to pasturesofliberty.com.
Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at tharmon@chieftain.com or via X, formerly Twitter, at twitter.com/tracywumps. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pork thieves can't stop Avondale pig roast and seed swap near Pueblo
