Weighty Responsibility After Pig Scramble, It’S Up To Kids To Bring Home The Bacon

Try packing on 200 pounds in three months. Imagine that’s something you’d actually want to do.

Between now and mid-August, 10 kids here will be feeding pigs they received on Saturday enough swill to make them weigh almost eight times what they do now. It’s all part of the local 4-H program, which the group launched with its annual Pig Scramble.

Here’s how it works: Throw a bunch of young 4-H’ers into a large pen, let loose several insolent pigs, stand back and listen to the squeals.

The object is for each of these kids to chase, pounce and grab a pig.

Local businesses pitch in to get swine to the kids for about $5 each instead of the usual $45 to $60. The catch is that 4-H’ers can participate in the scramble only once.

“It’s a pretty neat opportunity,” said Nancy Malensky, the 4-H leader in charge of the event.

“It’s actually not too hard to take care of the pigs, but bringing them in on the right day weighing the right amount is the hard part.”

The right day is Aug. 22, the second to last day of the Benewah County Fair, and the right weight is between 220 and 280 pounds perfect for hams, chops and bacon.

Today, the 8- to 10-week-old pigs weigh between 35 and 45 pounds.

Zak Jessen, 11, figures the smelly pig he snatched was one of his better birthday presents Saturday.

“It was pretty hard,” he said. “I had to run and dive and stuff.”

He finally nabbed the swine by the back legs.

The scramble was definitely “weird,” said 13-year-old Joanna DeMarsh.

“They put all these pigs in the ring and you have to catch it by the legs, and they squeal LOUD.”

Afterward, the kids and their parents lugged protesting swine into cars and trucks for the trip home.

In addition to fattening up the pigs, the 4-H’ers will spend the summer training them for showing at the fair - another tricky task.

“Pigs have minds of their own, so that can be hard,” Malensky said.