Minnesota State Fair-The Big Pig goes AWOL

On our recent trip to the Minnesota State Fair my first destination was this:

Yep, the Swine Barn.  Note the sign on the right....

I was thus assured that the Largest Boar would be holding court inside.  So, like, how large?  Well, here is Reggie the 2010 Winner...all 1450 porcine pounds of him.

More about Reggie here.

I had high hopes going into the Barn.  I mean, how often do you see a pig just slightly less massive than a 1960s vintage VW beetle?

And here is what we saw:

I found this ominous.  My wife asked a couple of 4 H kids who were lolling about the place and they told us that the Largest Boar had indeed become ill that morning and had to leave.  There does not seem to be a system in place for bringing in the Second Largest Boar as an understudy. 

As of this writing I have not been able to learn the fate of Big Bill, the incumbent Largest Boar, but I fear the worst.  These are impressive animals to behold, but massive obesity is not good for man nor beast.  There is actually a provision in the competition guidelines that says the Boar must actually be able to get up and walk around.  Or at least in theory, in my several viewings of Largest Boars I have never seen one do much more than twitch his snout when a fly lands on it.

For a sad account of the passing of a recent Champion I refer you to:

  Corn Dog RIP

Lets hope that the Big Guy rallies and goes on to live-in the fashion of Wilbur from Charlotte's Web-a long, happy and pampered post Fair life.  I just hope that is not the faint, tantalizing smell of bacon that I am detecting, but as I have noted, Farm folk have a rather practical outlook on life....

Next up: really bad food on sticks