STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
Bubbles, Swinkee and Penelope are getting a few extra treats with their pig feed this week.
Their handlers—12-year-old Ivan Wampler, 11-year-old Chuck and 9-year-old Oliver--are slipping them Twinkies, M&Ms, Tootsie Rolls and cupcakes to make sure the pigs make weight for the Market Animal Show and Sale at the Blaine County Fair on Saturday, Aug. 10.
“We have 100 days to reach a weight of 225 pounds to qualify,” said Ivan, whose family lives in Carey. “If they don’t weigh enough, they’re not qualified to go to the fair.”
This year, the kids have had to hose the pigs down more often than usual because pigs don’t sweat even in record-breaking temperatures. If it’s too hot, pigs won’t eat, so the kids have mixed the imperfect peaches and plums that their mother discards while canning into the pig feed. This encourages the pigs to eat more, and the moisture from the fruit cools them down.
The pigs gain between 1.5 and 2.2 pounds a day.
The kids pack mud on the pigs for suntan lotion and they occasionally rub them with skin relief ointments. And on show day they will scrub the pigs down with a purple shampoo that makes the white pig, in particular, shine.
Ivan was the first to try raising a pig for the fair. Mom and Dad loaned him the money to buy a pig and build a pig enclosure, and he paid them back with the money he made from selling the pig. He found that pigs are easy to train and that they like belly rubs. And he used the remaining funds from selling his first pig to purchase a pig the next year.
“He’s got big plans for college so he wants to save whatever extra funds he makes,” said his mother Amanda Wampler.
The kids shopped for their pigs in Burley, Carey and Paul where breeders sell infant pigs for anywhere from $175 to up to $1,000. Amanda said she and her husband Michaael maintain a hands-off approach.
The kids set an alarm to know when they need to feed the pigs or cool them down.
“They pay us to do what needs to be done if they have a swim lesson and are not around,” Amanda said. “Research shows that kids who do 4-H projects are more likely to get good grades in school and go to college. They learn to talk to adults, to figure out how to be cool and calm under pressure. So, they’re building more than the livestock side of things—they’re building character.”
“It’s a good summer project,” added Michael, an Idaho Fish and Game officer. “All summer long they have something they have to do, something that takes hard work.”
Marie Mecham, 4HClub leader, said the 12 children in her Blaine Bummers group have taken part in such community service projects as picking up trash along the roads, sprucing up the Carey Library grounds and assisting with Carey Pioneer Days’ Car Show.
“Probably the most stressful and most intense experience is raising steers, which my daughter did—they weigh a thousand pounds and eat a ton of food,” she said. “Pigs are one of the funnest to raise—they’re personable and it’s fun to watch them in the show ring. Some want to run, run, run, and the kids are trying to chase them down. Others pick fights. You can tell when the kids have worked with them and when they haven’t based on how well they can control their pigs.”
The youth meet every week to share presentations on topics they’ve researched, such as the different meats a particular animal produces, the illnesses different species are prone to, how to apply medications when an animal is sick and how to groom various animals.
Each child must maintain a record book, showing how much they paid for an animal and how much they’ve paid for food. They keep track of their animal’s weight gains and health records. They set goals and they write a story about their experience.
Come Saturday, judges will be looking at how well the animal is built, among other things.
“We have to wake up really early and wash them and the water’s so cold,” said Chuck. “But this is what we’ve been working towards all summer.”
BLAINE COUNTY FAIR
The Blaine County Fair kicks off today with English and Western horse shows beginning at 8:30 a.m. It goes through Saturday, Aug. 10, with the Market Animal Sale at 9 a.m.
Some of the highlights:
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 7
5 p.m. 4-H BBQ
7 p.m. Blaine County Fair Concert featuring Elliemae Millenkamp, who competed on NBC’s singing competition show “The Voice” gaining a coaching opportunity with Blake Shelton. She will be joined by Twin Falls performer Heath Owens, known for his bluegrass bent. Tickets are $10 per person or $30 for families, available at the Gate.
Dark--Outdoor Movie.
THURSDAY, Aug. 8
11 a.m. Archery Contest
4 p.m. Shot gun contest
5-7 p.m. Prime Rib Dinner by Big Jon’s BBQ
7 p.m. ATV Rodeo
8-10 p.m. Barn Dance featuring We Rock Mobile Music
FRIDAY, Aug. 9
3 p.m. Dutch Oven Cook-Off with free tastings and chance to vote for your favorite. To compete, call Lisa Baird at 208-481-0314.
7 p.m. Kid’s Rodeo featuring barrel racing, breakaway roping, pole bending, goat tying, mutton bustin’, calf riding and goat tail chase for youth 2 through 13 years of age. $5 per person.
SATURDAY, Aug. 10
9 a.m. Market Animal Sale
1 p.m. Buyer’s luncheon
7 p.m. Fall Rodeo. $5 per person. Events include Wild Cow Race, Wild Cos Milking, Barrel Racing, Heifer Riding, Trailer loading, Hyde Race, Dope on a Rope, Ribbon Roping and Team Roping.
RV camping is available at the Rodeo Grounds for $20 and includes wrist band for admission into the events.