Submitted by Marshall Veroni
When Jose Andino first attended a Pig Roast, he was enamoured by the entirety of the event. From the skill of the organizer for his ability to roast an entire animal to feed a whole party with, while simultaneously hosting said party to the sense of community and good times that such an event promoted. What started as an excuse to spend an entire day barbecuing, hanging out with friends and having great times morphed into something much more than that.
Jose Andino, owner of And-Rod Construction and GuidED: two Tobermory-based businesses, has always been someone who values community. Spend any amount of time speaking with him, and you will find this to be undeniably obvious. Since the beginning of his interest in hosting a pig roast years ago, he, his family, and the community of Tobermory have worked together to evolve this annual event into something that gives back.
The Annual Community Pig Roast now exists not only as a fall social staple in the town of Tobermory, but as a fundraising event that gives directly back to the community. The proceeds from the event go directly to the Tobermory Community Park Covered Pavilion Project – a project that focuses on the creation of a covered pavilion space in a local park that hosts “The Tobermory Meeting Place.” The benefits of this initiative are extensive and range from the importance of having a local gathering space, to support for live artistic events in the area, to the creation of shaded seating for warm weather months and even community garden initiatives.
The event creates a wonderful sense of community and connection while promoting local talent and making an impact financially for the Tobermory Community Park Covered Pavilion Project. Over the years, the Pig Roast has also hosted a diversity of local talent who have shown up to share their gifts in support of the community. Artists such as Three Men in The Tub, Mack Armstrong, Marty Oblak of Tacomory and Jake Parker-Scott have performed in previous years.
This year they hosted a range of wonderful musicians who performed in support of community growth and kinship. There were memorable performances by: DJ Max, Jacob Corston of Wiarton, Summer Martin, The Sultans of Bling of Lion’s Head and Johnny Lane who generously donated and operated all of the sound equipment for the event. The night also featured a very proud moment for the Andino family when 14-year-old son Xavier Andino played the heck out of Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb.
Over the years, they have managed to foster an upward trajectory in terms of money raised, with the number of attendees for the event increasing and continuing to donate food, money, prizes and their time. This year, thanks to the community, they raised a record $5,060 for the cause.
“It has become something that is way bigger than me,” said Jose when asked about the event. The way that the community has shown up over the years to make the Annual Pig Roast what it is, is commendable, to say the least. It is thanks to the members of the community who donate raffle prizes, who donate their time, who provide their skills, their food and ultimately their unique presence that this event has become what it is.
Jose, Amanda, their family, and the entire And-Rod Team want to extend a massive thank you to all of those involved in this year’s event. For braving the weather, donating their time or resources, and for working so hard to support not only this initiative, but a sense of community in Tobermory that is truly special. An extra large thank you this year to the residents of Maple Golf Crescent, whose patience and understanding for the noise and volume of event goers did not go unnoticed.
We hope to see you at next year’s ANNUAL COMMUNITY PIG ROAST FUNDRAISER.
