SAN BENITO — The city’s ready to go hog wild.
Known as the birthplace of conjunto music, the Resaca City is turning back the pages of its history more than 100 years to launch its latest music festival.
In October, the city debuted its first Resaca City Music Festival, featuring a variety of music including conjunto.
Then last week, city commissioners approved plans to stage the first Hog Waddle Country Concert & Cook Off.
“We’re going to get into the entertainment business,” City Manager Manuel De La Rosa said yesterday.
De La Rosa said it is part of a new plan to draw more tourists to town.
The event set for May 19 at the San Benito Fairgrounds will feature country music bands and an officially sanctioned barbecue cook-off.
For barbecue aficionados, the menu will feature classic pork recipes.
“We want to attract a larger group of attendees,” De La Rosa said. “We want to be diverse, across the ages with different music genres.”
The city’s latest music festival is based on an event that has become part of the city’s pioneer past.
“It’s part of the history of San Benito,” City Commissioner Esteban Rodriguez said. “I bet it’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s a good tourist event.”
In the early 1900s, dusty Sam Houston Boulevard set the stage for the event that drove residents hog wild.
Alba Heywood, a farmer who co-founded San Benito Bank & Trust, wanted to stage a parade along the city’s main street.
So from his farm, he herded 2,000 hogs along four blocks of Sam Houston.
Then a pistol was fired into the air, spooking the hogs.
“Two thousand pigs scattered and it took the better part of three days to round them up,” De La Rosa said.
Last week, commissioners approved the city’s authorization of an agreement with a music promoter to help stage the concert to include alcohol sales.
As part of the event, the city is seeking sponsorships.
