Pig races are popular event at fair
Of all the shows and entertainment that is part of the 48th Annual Fayette County Fair this week, one of the most original and creative events began in the fair’s own backyard. Since appearing at the fair almost two decades ago, Nancy’s Racing Pigs have become one of the most popular attractions at the fair, with three shows daily.
“Nancy’s Racing Pigs are a home-grown show. They are a great tradition for the fair,” said Bill Jackson, president of the fair board.
Joining pig owner Nancy Herring for the shows is racing announcer and fair board member Rick Allen. Allen said that his involvement in the pig races was actually an accident.
“When we started Frosty Higbee was the announcer and I came down here and he said that I could just take it over. I said I would and I guess the rest is history,” Allen remarked.
While Nancy is busy preparing the pigs for the race, Allen entertains the crowds with legends about the origin of the pigs and how Nancy obtained them for her races.
“I have the whole year to think about what I can say. With four pigs, I sure can embellish it,” Allen joked.
To help get children involved in the show, Herring and Allen distribute flags to kids in the crowd, with the idea that certain children are rooting for specific pigs. The winning pigs cheerleaders receive t-shirts as a prize for their involvement. In this race, pig number four, Porky the Pig, was having an especially fast pace, beating his other rivals in two pig races held for the final show of the day.
“We always come. We won last year too. It’s a lot of fun,” said Timmy Kaylor,8, of Uniontown, who along with his sister Leah Kaylor, 11, cheered Porky to victory.
With her fresh t-shirt in hand, Leah Kaylor only had one goal in mind now. “I want Nancy to sign it for me,” Kaylor said with a broad smile across her face.
For her own part, Herring is happy that the pig races have been a success.
“We are happy to do this. We see people in the winter saying I got my shirt. Hopefully it also encourages some people to join the 4-H clubs,” Herring said.
According to Allen, Nancy’s Racing Pigs were the flagship event for what is now known as the family area of the fair.
“When we first did it, there wasn’t much down in this area. We didn’t even have the Fiddler’s Building. Now it’s one of the biggest attractions and really plays into the family area,” Allen said. “Nancy is really the greatest. Her and her husband Rolland were always creative and trying new things to bring crowds in and the family area really turned out well,” Allen said.
“We all worked together to get this family area going,” Herring added.
Herring said that they got the idea for the pig races while her husband was president of the State Fair Association and they saw a similar show at the Florida State Fair.
“It looked very amusing to do,” Herring remarked.
Allen said that the pig races were a good fit for the fair.
“We always tried to do things using our own resources, especially back then when we weren’t as big as we are now,” Allen claimed.
In the time since the first pig races, the event has now grown to become something that both children and adults look forward to as part of their overall fair experience.
“This is some great entertainment. It’s been a really fun ride,” Allen said.
Nancy’s Racing Pigs sprint to victory three times daily at 4, 6, and 8 p.m. The shows are sponsored by Baltimore Life Insurance Co. and are a free activity held in the family area of the fair.