PEMBROKE, NC (WBTW) – Thousands of people attended the 48th annual Lumbee Homecoming celebration Saturday afternoon at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
While there many people got a chance to taste a staple for the event each year, the infamous collard sandwich.
It’s a sweet treat between two slices of cornbread.
“We started off with seventy five gallons, next year started with a hundred, then two hundred, then four hundred,” said Glenn Jones, the man known for the legendary collard sandwich.
Gallons of collard greens continue to grow each year for Jones.
At one point Saturday, more than twenty people stood in line just to get what is being prepared on the other side.
“Some will say yum and others will get an expression on their face like it’s the best thing they ever tasted in their life,” mentioned Jones.
Glenn Jones and his family have been cooking collard sandwiches for more than ten years.
“The special ingredient in these collards the most time is love, love yea,” Jones said.
“We got a family gathering under the tent here. We pray before we start every morning and we may get a little hot with each other but we always be smiling at each other,” said Dorsey Hunt.
Jones says the family cooks the collard sandwiches only four times a year. He says during the Lumbee homecoming celebration they’ve cooked more than 600 gallons of collard greens.
Elliot Lowry stood in line with one mission in mind.
“It’s good, it’s good as you can see the line here. Every year you’ll have to come back,” Lowry said.
This year was no different.
“It feels like home, just reminds you of everything Lumbee homecoming is all about,” added Lowry.
Since Glenn Jones is the man who made the collard sandwich legendary in the Lumberton area, we wanted to know how many sandwiches were sold throughout the homecoming celebration, so we asked him.
“How many sandwiches? I don’t want to say that on television, everybody wants to know your business then ya know, but we’ve done a lot of them. How about a truck load,” mentioned Jones.
The celebration wrapped up Saturday evening with a parade, car show, and fireworks.
Organizers say more than 30,000 people attended.