Pig wrestling is back for fair

Hannah Gross
NLJ Correspondent 
 
After three years of not having pig wrestling at the annual Weston County Fair, the Newcastle Area Chamber of Commerce has decided it’s time to bring it back. Following tradition, the fair festivities will begin with a parade on July 24 at 10 a.m., starting at Pinnacle Bank, weaving through downtown and ending at the fairgrounds. Pig wrestling will take place early in fair week on Monday, July 26, with the Calcutta beginning at 5:30 p.m. 
The reason there hasn’t been any pig wrestling events is because no available pigs could be secured. Barbie Turner, the chamber’s executive director, said finding pigs was the most challenging aspect of planning the event. But after contacting 16 different pig owners, they finally found someone who was willing to donate pigs when Weston County Fairgrounds manager Kara Fladstol-Brown contacted a man from Wheatland, a willing pig owner. The chamber will pay for the use of his pigs and their transportation.
Although the chamber is taking over pig wrestling this year, the event will be run the same as it always has, said the group’s president, Sandra Martin. The teams of four in each age category will be auctioned off at the Calcutta, and the winning team in each category takes home some of the cash in the jackpot. The teams are allotted one minute to chase the pig and put it bottom-first in the barrel, all while racing through a fenced-in, muddy pit. Peewees will be allowed a minute and a half, Turner said.
The deadline to enter is July 15, and the cost per team varies based on age. Entry fees are $60 for peewee teams, ages 5 to 9; $80 for junior teams, ages 10 to 14; $100 for teen teams, ages 15 to 18; and $120 for adult teams, 19 or older. Each team must have four members, but it does not have to be an even number of guys and girls. 
“We’re also going to have other things going on,” Martin said. “We’re hoping it’s going to be a big, big, big event.” 
Those who aren’t wrestling pigs can get their fair share of mud through the various activities the chamber will have available on the side. There will also be vendors at the event, and $15 T-shirts for sale. 
Both Martin and Turner said they hope to have a big turnout from the community because the more support they have increases the chances of bringing pig wrestling back again next year. They hope to have as many teams as possible, and on the first morning of advertising, they already had five teams sign up. However, spots are limited due to number of pigs, Turner said. 
Anyone interested in registering a team for pig wrestling or entering a float in the parade can contact Turner at (610) 547-0888 or Martin at (307) 321-8357. Organizers want to have a long parade and welcome many different float ideas, even if kids just want to walk their animals with the parade. 
“We’d like everyone to participate that wants to,” Martin said.