Greased Pig Scramble Is Evening’s Big Draw

By Anna Marie Finley

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Carolyn and Claudia Reynolds, of Ashburn, were so excited for the carnival rides to open at the Loudoun County Fair Wednesday evening that they couldn’t decide what ride to try first. But what the girls were even more excited about was the event that most of last night’s fairgoers had come to see: the greased pig scramble.

“My favorite part of the whole night is watching the kids have fun. That’s the best part of it all,” said John Moore, President of the Loudoun County Fair and Associates.

Moore has been working at the fair for seven years, and was happy that the weather was finally cooperative.

“We either have a stifling hot day, or it’s pouring down rain,” he said. “We were really lucky with the weather this year.”

Wednesday’s events featured a mule jumping show brought by Pam and Steve Foster and their world champion mule, Missy. The show drew a large crowd to the outdoor horse ring, but as the time for the pig scramble drew closer, the sea of children and families on the hill grew larger.

Fifteen pigs were brought to the fairgrounds this year for the greased pig scramble, fair treasurer Kathy Turnbull said. Children ages 6 to 13 pre-register to compete in their age group, and each group is separated into boys and girls.

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Loudoun County Fair Greased Pig Scramble

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The pigs are led out into the ring by fair workers. (Anna Marie Finley)

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A large crowd gathered on Wednesday night to watch the action inside the horse ring as kids scrambled for greased pigs. (Anna Marie Finley)

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Elizabeth Tilton, of Purcellville, leads the 6- and 7-year-old group of girls, which was the first group to start Wednesday night's greased pig scramble. (Anna Marie Finley)

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The 6- and 7-year-old girls run after their greased pig. (Anna Marie Finley)

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Girls in the 6- and 7-year-old age group chase after their greased pig at the scramble held last night at the fair. (Anna Marie Finley)

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Elizabeth Tilton, 7, of Purcellville drags a greased pig across the ring hoping to hold on and win. (Anna Marie Finley)

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7-year-old Elizabeth Tilton tries her best to hold on to the greased pig. (Anna Marie Finley)

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Taking a break to catch her breath, 7-year-old Elizabeth Tilton holds on to the greased pig she hopes to win. (Anna Marie Finley)

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John Tilton, his 10-year-old son, Caleb, and 8-year-old daughter, Gabriella, stop for a hug after Caleb wins the greased pig scramble. (Anna Marie Finley)

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Boys in the 6- and 7-year-old group work hard to control the pig. (Anna Marie Finley)

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The boys of the 6- and 7-year-old group anxiously await their turn to chase after the greased pig. (Anna Marie Finley)

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6-year-old Will Moore drags his greased pig to the winning circle. (Anna Marie Finley)

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A greased pig runs loose in the outdoor horse ring used for the pig scramble on Wednesday night at the fair. (Anna Marie Finley)

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Kathy Turnbull, treasurer of the Loudoun County Fair Board, announces participants' names for the greased pig scramble Wednesday night. (Anna Marie Finley)

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8-year-old Kyle Herbert wins his age group's greased pig scramble and drags the pig to the winning circle. (Anna Marie Finley)

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The 10- and 11-year-old girls at the greased pig scramble on Wednesday night wait in line to enter the outdoor horse ring. (Anna Marie Finley)

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Girls in the 10- and 11-year-old age group line up along the back fence of the outdoor horse ring waiting for their turn to do the greased pig scramble. (Anna Marie Finley)

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Elizabeth Tilton is all smiles after winning the greased pig scramble. ()

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Kyle Herbert, 8, sits with his family in the audience after winning his age group's greased pig scramble for the second year in a row. (Anna Marie Finley)

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And if watching the kids isn’t enough fun for fairgoers, a “Ladies Scramble” also is held for moms or Loudoun 4-H leaders who want a chance at catching one of the greased pigs. There isn’t a men’s event, because “watching the ladies do it is just way more fun,” Moore said.

Depending on the number of scramblers, either one or two pigs are greased in vegetable oil and let loose to be caught and dragged to the winning circle. The winner chooses from a cash prize or the very hog they scrambled to catch.

The first group to enter the ring was the 6- and 7-year-old girls, many of whom weren’t much bigger than the pink pig sent squealing from the trailer. The audience counted down with fair superintendent Terry Corle and the pig was let loose to the cheers of everyone watching. The energy of one particular red-headed girl, 7-year-old Elizabeth Tilton, of Purcellville, outlasted everyone, including the tired pig. Cheers and shouts of encouragement could be heard from Tilton’s family as she struggled to hold onto the pig

“I can’t believe I caught one,” Tilton said. “I just don’t know if those pigs are super-smart, or super-dumb!”

This was Tilton’s first hog scramble, but her 10-year-old brother Caleb is a veteran scrambler. Taking home the prize for the second year in a row, Caleb was even more excited about the $15 promised to him by his father, John Tilton.

An out-of-breath, but very excited Tilton said, “I feel good, but I’m really, really, tired. It wasn’t easy; I wasn’t expecting it to be that fast or that strong.”

The strategy for the pig scramblers appeared simple: Get the pig by the hind legs and don’t let go. But 8-year-old Kyle Herbert said it was a lot harder than it looked.

“They are hard to catch because they’re wiggling around, and really greasy,” Herbert said. This also was Herbert’s second year in a row to win for his age group.

Lady scramblers were up next, and of the four women who participated, three were first-time participants. The winners were Kimberly Smith and Nicole Marschall, but Danyelle Small, of Philomont, and Cheryl Levi, of Berryville both were happy to have given it a shot.

“It was a lot of fun. Both of my girls did it, too,” Levi said. “When they told us we were too old, that’s what made us want to do it.”

At the end of the event, it wasn’t just the winners lining up to claim their prize who wore smiles. Everyone who participated, whether in the ring or cheering on the hill, appeared to enjoy every minute of the dirtiest event the fair had to offer.

Tagged: loudoun county fair

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