MURFREESBORO – Preliminary reports indicate a record year.

The fourth annual Roanoke-Chowan Pork Fest held here this past weekend was a bigger success than ever, according to unofficial tallies by the event’s organizers.

&uot;I was delighted, haven’t had any complaints at all,&uot; Brinson Paul said. &uot;The weather was absolutely perfect. The crowd was as happy as they could be. I think it was enjoyable for everyone involved.&uot;

Complete information isn’t available yet, but preliminary totals indicate that about 1,200 people attended Pork Fest this year, up from 1,000 a year ago.

There were also more entries in the pig-cooking contest as 15 entered this year’s event compared to 13 last year. The event started with 10 contestants four years ago.

Leslie Deaton of Roanoke Rapids took this year’s top prize.

The event annually raises funds for the Brady C. Jefcoat Museum. This year’s Pork Fest brought in $23,000 for the museum, an increase of $3,000 from 2004. The event raised $13,000 in its first year and then $17,000 in its second year.

&uot;It was a busy weekend and a mighty good weekend,&uot; Pork Fest chairman Jimmy Gray said. &uot;It was a big success. A lot of people worked hard and it just went great.&uot;

Complete information on the number of plates sold was unavailable, but Gray said he believed the number would also surpass previous totals.

In addition to the contest, Mr. Jefcoat was on hand at the museum, giving tours and there was also someone on hand making homemade lye soap.