The Bus Barn Barbecue has been a tradition at Hinds Community College since about 1968. This event is held usually the first or second week in December. It started out with Billy Banes, Coach Joe Renfroe, Powell Taylor (Supervisor of the Bus Barn) and Henry King (Grounds Supervisor). These guys got together and decided to cook a lunch for the Grounds and Bus Barn employees.
The first few years they cooked a hind quarter deer, with all the fixings. A few years went by and more and more departments were coming. Eventually they asked Hinds if they could help them make this yearly December event open to all employees. The Bus Barn Barbecue was moved to McKenzie Arena where it is still held today.
Here are some photos from around 2007 or so.
The menu has changed a bit over the years, but one thing has not…and that is how good the food is! I started working at Hinds in 1992 and I can remember for years they also served jambalaya. This started because Lamar Currie, Roger Jones and Mark Mitchell all were members of a deer camp with a gentlemen by the name of Rodney Terrebonne who made some of the best jambalaya around. Up until he passed away, he come to several Bus Barn Barbecues and made it for all of us here at Hinds.
The menu today includes pulled pork, sliced sirloin roast, baked beans, slaw, pepper salad, corn bread, bread, turnip greens and cookies. It’s a free meal for Hinds employees but donations are taken at the door to help cover expenses.
Now I have heard rumors over the years that way back when, these men would stay up all night cooking this feast and I am pretty sure that night quite possibly involved some grown up beverages. Needless to say, they had some good times! And so does anyone who attends. These guys are just fun to be around, whether they were up all night or not!
About 10 or so years ago I was lucky enough to be asked to help serve. And let me just say that us ladies that are asked have more fun that you can imagine. I feel lucky to be a part of this elite group of ladies.
2009 Servers.
Here is Wendy Barnes a couple of years ago serving up the turnip greens.
The middle photo is two of my favorites that worked at Hinds for years, Joyce Newton (known to most as Momma Joyce) and Zandra Nowell.
Here is Peggy Lofton and Kathy Price, and that guy back there is Jack Hite.
Here we have Lisa Whatley getting ready to serve some very delicious cornbread.
These guys are always there to help with the beverage table.
This photo of Lisa Davis was taken back in 2000 (told you we have a good time!)
And this is me serving my favorite thing on the menu, the pepper salad. It consist of red, orange and green peppers, pickles, banana peppers and onion all in some type of vinegar liquid. You either love this stuff or you hate it, and I for one love it!
And finally here we are serving at this year’s Bus Barn Barbecue! If you have never been to this historic event…you are missing out. Hope to see you next year!
