This little piggy gets to wiggle out of chase
‘Pig scrambles’ are out, greased melons are in at Sonoma County Fair
The Sonoma County Fair is putting the brakes on a longtime children’s event pitting kids against pigs.
For half a century, the fair in Northern California has hosted a “pig scramble” in which dozens of children race after a drove of squealing piglets, dragging the swine out of a dirt pit by their hind legs to the amusement of cheering parents.
The annual event was meant to expose kids to farm life, fair officials said.
But this year, there will be no animals at the Aug. 4 event. Instead, children will be given greased watermelons to carry through an obstacle course.
Board members say the change is part of an effort to boost Farmers Day attendance, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported.
“Attracting more individuals to the Farmers Day event has been a topic of conversation for years,” Sonoma County Fairgrounds Chief Executive Rebecca Bartling said in a statement emailed to The Times. “This past spring, our planning committee put their creative hats on and came up with a program that we think is going to be fun for all.”
Bartling didn’t mention the end of the pig scramble but said the fair’s new watermelon obstacle course will challenge children ages 5 to 10 in a race holding a slippery melon.
Fair officials said the decision to end the pig chase wasn’t prompted by animal rights activists. Board President Rob Muelrath could not immediately be reached for comment Monday, but board member Annette O’Kelley said it was time for a change.
“It’s just the right thing to do,” O’Kelley told the Press Democrat. “We don’t want to see any of the animals get stressed out or hurt.”
Matt Johnson, a spokesman for Direct Action Everywhere, said the group has never protested the Sonoma County Fair. Nonetheless, Johnson said the group was glad to hear the races had ceased.
“It’s an indication that the times are changing and we’re shifting in a compassionate direction,” he said. The pig scramble “is not what we should be teaching our children.”
Gemma Vaughan, a caseworker for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said the organization was not involved in conversations about the pig scramble, noting that community and board members led the change.
“They’re running for their lives and tackled by children who they perceive as predators,” she said. “We’re glad [the fair] has found a fun and humane alternative to the pig chase.”
The Santa Rosa, Calif., locale is not the first to eliminate fair events involving live pigs. In Canada, the Westmorland County Fair and the Lombardy Agricultural Society’s fair also ended pig scrambles after complaints from animal activists.
Meanwhile, the Orange County and Los Angeles County fairs have no plans to remove animals from events, including pig races.
At the L.A. County fair, pigs come in contact only with their handler, said spokeswoman Renee Hernandez. “The Farm @ Fairplex is one of the L.A. County Fair’s most treasured visitor experiences and we take great care in the handling of all our animals,” she said.
Terry Moore, spokeswoman for the O.C. County Fair, said the event doesn’t have a pig scramble, or any activities in which guests interact with animals aside from petting zoos.
“We hadn’t even heard about pig scrambles,” she said.