CHARLES SAMPSON GIVES BACK TO HIS COMMUNITY — one happy belly at a time. Sampson, who has been an islander for 37 years and is one of the area’s top Realtors, was a driving force behind the innovative idea of auctioning of pig roasts to benefit the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn.
The first auction of a pig roast — also called a pig pull because when cooked, diners pull the meat off the pig — was held at the WineTime Dinner and Auction in October 2007. A bank won the bid and used the pig roast for its office Christmas party. That roast and two others auctioned off since have raised about $10,000 for the museum.
The business or person that wins the pig roast — which range from $3,300 to $4,000 depending on how many guests the winner invites — are treated to a fun event at Honey Horn. Part of that fun is the volunteers doing the cooking.
Sampson is in charge of roasting the pig (its size depends on how many people are attending) while the other board members and their families cook up lots of goodies, including deep-fried pickles, “slap yo’ mama” peach cobbler (a specialty of Sampson’s wife, Frances), Cajun fried turkeys, baked beans, coleslaw, collards and more.
The events are hard work, but well worth it, said Sampson. “It’s fun doing something that people enjoy while also giving back and raising money for a good cause,” he said.
Sampson started roasting pigs in the 1970s when he was with the Jaycees. Then in the ‘80s, he started holding an annual pig pull every New Year’s Day for his Charter I North Realty & Marketing clients. In addition to his duties as head pig roaster, a Realtor and board member at the Coastal Discovery Museum, Sampson is also a member of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra board of directors and an elder at First Presbyterian Church.
In the mid-‘80s he was named Young Man of the Year by the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce and was named Citizen of the Year a few years later. He also helped start the bike paths on the island.
When it comes to his contributions to the community, Sampson is modest.
“I don’t know if I’ve made a difference,” he said. “We’ve got golf, great weather and the beach. More important, though, are the people who live here. They don’t just sit in rocking chairs. They get involved.”
More information
If you’d like to learn more about bidding on a pig roast, call the Coastal Discovery Museum at 843-689-6767.
