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Visit Unadilla on New Year's Eve for a squealing good time at the Hog Drop

This is the event’s fifth year, and don’t worry… no one goes hog wild in the streets. It's fun for the whole family.

UNADILLA, Ga. — Unadilla is a small town of about 1,500 in Dooly County, but on New Year’s Eve, their population swells to watch a giant hog drop from the sky.

“Of course, my family’s in the barbecue business,” said Mayor Myron Mixon.

That’s kind of an understatement for Mixon, who was formerly a judge on the show BBQ Pitmasters and is a five-time BBQ World Champion.

Pigs are his life, so when his son Michael came to him with an idea, he figured they had the chops to get it done.

“A replica of a hog comes down during the Hog Drop right before midnight,” said Mixon.

All the fun starts at 5 p.m. New Year’s Eve. Barbecue teams will line up over by the railroad tracks and everyone else will fill in for the fun on West Railroad Street.

“Big fireworks display, we have the pig races, we have bouncy houses, we have a lot of games and stuff for the kids, we have bands, we have a lot of food vendors, and we have a barbecue contest,” said Mixon.

This is the event’s fifth year and don’t worry… no one goes hog wild in the streets.

“I stress being family-friendly because we want the kids to come. I remember growing up, you know your mom and dad went out and left the kids there with the babysitters. We want you to bring your kids because they can stay until midnight, it is safe,” he said.

A local machine shop put the porker together.

“The cool thing is you go in there with regular work, they might put you off, but when you come in with something unique like, ‘Do me a pig,’ they [get] right on it and got it ready for us our first year,” he said.

The mayor, who is halfway through his second term and donates his $400 salary back to the city every month, says folks circle New Year's Eve on the calendar.

So, head to Unadilla on Dec. 31, you’ll be as happy as a pig in a blanket.

Mixon says they're got some big projects on tap for the city in 2022. They received grant money to upgrade their water and sewage system and they're also going to repave the streets.

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