Tracy is our neighbor from just down the street. His children (Jordan and Justin) and our children (Katie Mae and Gentry) are fast friends, so it was inevitable that we should meet. But we have more in common than this--Tracy likes to work on improving his old house too, and in the early days of our getting aquainted we would take turns checking out the latest renovations in each other's homes. It was about this same time, that there came a falling out with the people who were supposed to help us with our first pickin. That's when Tracy stepped in--as ignorant as us to the whole process--and offered to help. That day our neighbor became our friend, and a new Cartersville tradition was on its way to being born.

Not too long ago, Tracy attended Sprayberry High School in Marietta where he was named to the McDonald's All-American football team. After four years of playing first string for the Sprayberry Yellow Jackets, he won a scholarship to Georgia Tech, where he played for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets until a knee injury ended his very promising dream of a professional football career. But there's more to this man than meets the eye. Tracy is the consumate artist, as skillful with his creative mind as he ever was with his powerfully athletic physique. And inbetween playing with pigskins in the past and cooking pigskins in the present, he attended the School of Art in Atlanta where he perfected his artistic talents. From sketching to painting, from renovation to landscaping, nothing of a creative endevor is beyond Tracy's enthusiastic effort.

So when the three of us put our heads together, what we had was Tracy's brilliant creativity, David's keen sensability, and my constant worry--three elements absolutely neccessary to any successful venture. And it worked! Tracy would come up with an idea, and David would counter from his point of view; I would sit there wringing my hands. Then David would put forth a plan, and Tracy would counter; I would pull my hair and moan. But eventually it happened, we came up with a working plan that appeared to address all potential problems, and met with everyone's approval. And just in the nick of time, I might add. We didn't even get the pit roof built until that Friday morning.

Well, within a couple of weeks of that first pickin', Tracy had twisted his sister's arm and convinced her to roast a pig for their family's Thanksgiving get-together, which she was hosting. So Denise's husband Darryl dug a hole in their backyard, and Tracy--more determined than ever to succeed--succeeded in cooking the perfect pig. We were fortunate enough to have been invited, and I can tell you, everyone was suitably impressed with Tracy's newfound talent.

Word quickly spread that Tracy Duckett was the man to see if you wanted to roast a whole pig, and before the next October rolled around, Tracy was asked by Scott and Zenna Cole if he would cook a pig for their wedding reception when they returned from their honeymoon. Tracy used a smoker this time, and yet again impressed the gathering with his growing expertice. Folks couldn't help but ooh and ahh over his spectacular creation, seasoned with his very own special basting sauce.

With Tracy manning the fire, there was no doubt in our minds that the second Parker Pig Pickin' would far exceed the first, and so it did. And so it was, when another year rolled around and we were preparing for the third pickin', that Tracy was offered and accepted the title of "Pitmaster." For who but he could take hold of a pig, and in the passing of just one night, create a masterpiece.