Swine Time

When my dad's side of the family was in Georgia together after Thanksgiving, we happened upon an annual event: Swine Time!

In addition to having a delightful name, this festival takes place in Climax, Georgia. Seriously...you can't make this stuff up. Check out the lineup:

I really thought I was a shoe-in to win the longest distance contest. Alas, there were at least two people from upstate New York. Apparently Swine Time is big time. Anyone who cannot find something delicious to eat at Swine Time is not trying very hard...

James and Ellie allowed me to have one of their deep-fried Oreos. Yummers! Clearly this a treat best enjoyed hot out of the grease while the chocolate cookie is still warm and gooey...

Leigh Ann and Anne couldn't resist preserving the evidence of this field trip for posterity...or at least their next trip to the YMCA in Charlotte. (We were pretty bummed to find out we'd missed running in the event's 5K that morning. In fact, we might have missed Swine Time altogether if the girls hadn't gotten up early and gone to the local Y, where a friendly employee explained why the gym was so empty.)

 James, Ellie and I checked out the bungee jump, which was absolutely worth $6...

There was a notice posted that flips were banned for anyone over 20, but that is apparently not strictly enforced...yahooo!!!!

I'm not sure what made me prouder: my flips or the fact I managed to keep my deep-fried delights in my tummy! 

Leigh Ann and I used to do the pig chase at the annual Fat Cattle Show in Quincy.I still remember being absolutely terrified of the greasy, squealing piglets we were supposed to catch and put inside a burlap sack.

In this case, there is only one pig. The kids are separated into groups by age. Hmm, maybe all of that concern about growth hormones in milk is well-founded??

I thought it was a hoot and enjoyed our ringside seats. Other members of our clan were less amused and thought it was a little to close to animal torture. Nevertheless, I'm thinking Climax doesn't have a PETA chapter, so I'd expect this tradition to stay under the animal rights activists' radar...

(Fun fact: A bystander told us that years ago, the winning pig-catcher could choose between keeping the pig and getting a cash prize. Now it's just the cash -- I'd assume that happened after many a tearful winner fought with Mom and Dad about taking Wilbur home.)

On our way out, Leigh Ann got us a bag of fresh-fried pork skins. Scrumptious!

Go ahead and mark your calendar now so you don't miss it next year. Swine Time always takes place the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Y'all come back now, ya hear?