Published: July 23, 2008 03:40 pm            

Showtime

Plainfield's controversial pigs compete at the county 4-H fair

DANVILLE — Margie and Pigilo’s big day has arrived.

The two swine, publicized in the local media last month for their smelly standoff with neighbors in Plainfield’s Peacock Lake subdivision, competed with hundreds of other farm animals during Tuesday’s shows at the Hendricks County 4-H Fair.

But this time, no one complained about the smell.

“People who’ve read the papers come up to me and ask if I’m Pigilo’s mom,” said Cindy Whyde, the pigs’ owner. “My daughter Carly is Pigilo’s mom. I’m just his grandmother or something. All the attention has been really funny.”

But some neighbors aren’t laughing.

They recently took their case to the county commissioners, but Whyde said only a select few have been complaining and support for her daughter’s 4-H project has been strong.

“I’ve had several neighbors stop in the yard and tell me that they’re not with the group that’s still complaining about the pigs,” Whyde said. “My guess is it’s four people who are upset. The rest of them say they can smell it every once in a while, but it’s not terrible.”

A pig aroma filled the fair’s swine barn, but no one seemed to care as hundreds of hogs competed all day in dozens of categories.

Whyde and her 11-year-old daughter, Carly, began to prepare for the fair at 4 a.m. Sunday. That morning, Margie and Pigilo made the trip to the fairgrounds from Plainfield in a borrowed trailer big enough for a single horse.

“Other kids are sleeping ‘till noon and I’m hollering at Carly at 4 a.m. to get out to her pigs,” Whyde said. “But sometimes it’s tough to load them in the trailer because they’re kind of stubborn.”

Whyde said transporting the pigs so early in the morning was necessary to keep them cool.

“Because pigs don’t sweat, they have a tendency to get overheated,” she explained. “It was really hot that day, so we wanted to be one of the first ones in line when they open the gates at 6 a.m. and start checking livestock in. It’s much cooler here in the stall than being trapped in a trailer.”

Hughes decided to forego the showmanship category of competition this year — thanks to a minor pig bite the year before. But the youngster entered Margie and Pigilo in this year’s swine show, a competition that judges pigs on appearance.

When she wasn’t riding rides, checking out chickens, and sucking helium out of balloons, Hughes was hard at work in the stall — bathing, shaving, and walking her two pigs in preparation for the show.

“This has definitely taught me responsibility,” Hughes said. “They are kind of like my children.”

When the big day finally arrived, Hughes marched Margie and Pigilo into the North Salem State Bank Arena to perform. During the competition, pigs move about the dirt floor while their owners attempt to keep constant eye contact with judges, who analyze the animals based on muscles, feet placement, and overall shape.

Hughes netted fifth place for Margie and sixth for Pigilo in their respective classes.

“She did really well,” Whyde said. “A lot of the other kids raise pigs on farms, so I’m really proud of Carly.”

Hughes said owning the publicized pigs has attracted added attention at school.

“Half of them don’t watch the news, but most of them do know,” Hughes said. “My best friend Taylor Pennington shows cows and she thinks she’s best friends with a celebrity.”

Pennington had an eventful day of her own, as her dairy cow Daisy gave birth to a calf — named Bleeker — several days ahead of schedule in the cow barn at the fair.

“I’m just glad she had the baby now,” Pennington said. “I don’t know what I would have done if she gave birth while I was showing her.”

With the competition behind them, Margie and Pigilo can spend the rest of the week lounging in their stall, soaking up attention from passersby.

But don’t count on seeing them again at next year’s fair.

“I think we’ve sold both of them for meat,” Whyde said. “I know one guy is going to do a hog roast with one of them.”

kevin.leibrock@flyergroup.com

        

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