Pork Chop Shop to close its doors after 25 years

For 25 years the Pork Council has set up shop at the State Fair, selling barbecue plates with all the fixings. 

"I like North Carolina pork. I like North Carolina everything," said fair-goer Lizbeth Videau.

The Pork Council's original mission with the Pork Chop Shop was to promote pork products. Ann Edmonson, with the N.C. Pork Council, said that mission has been accomplished. 

"Just looking at the future, we just said, there's probably some more we can do to reach a new audience and keep the folks who have been so loyal over the years," Edmonson said. 

Tens of thousands of people have made the shop a success, but Edmonson said with the cooks retiring it gets harder to find volunteers. 

 Edmonson said shes not sure what the next step will be, but the Pork Council will have a presence at next year's fair.

Fair-goers who want to grab that last plate of barbecue or pork chops from the shop can do so at the tent located between the Dorton Arena and the Education Building.