The 36th annual pig drawing for the Florida Strawberry Festival was Monday night at the Charlie Grimes Agricultural Center. Over 200 students waited with bated breath for their name and number to be called for the show.
Though the fair normally only takes 85 applicants, Paul Davis, the festival general manager, promised to buy two pigs, increasing the total to 87 lucky students for the first time in the festival’s history.
“I just hate to see the kids go away sad,” Davis said.
As the seats in the hall slowly filled, Ray Clark, the announcer for the event, asked how many of those who had been chosen were sitting in the red plastic seats reserved for the winners for the first time. At least a quarter of the students raised their hands.
Though more than half of those in attendance left without being drawn, the 87 who remained all wore smiles as they were given instructions on the next steps for the fair. The tag show is Nov. 6 and exhibitors were advised not to purchase their pigs until the end of October.
They were reminded of the rules in the manual for the show and encouraged to begin sending letters to prospective buyers as soon as their pigs were tagged. Some of the major guidelines for caring for the pigs and what to expect for the show were outlined and students were warned to maintain the standards required or else they would not be allowed to compete.
Rhonda Burnette, owner of Harold’s Feed & Pet Supply, told the exhibitors about the feed payback program offered by her store. Any student that buys 11 bags of feed at Harold’s between October and March is entered into a drawing. The winner is reimbursed for all of the feed they purchased while raising their pig. A second place winner is reimbursed for half of the feed they purchased.
The feed purchases will give each applicant one entry to the drawing. However, every $100 spent in the store, will give the applicant another entry.
Harold’s is also having pig sales on site on Oct. 7 and 28.
Though the show is the highlight of the year for many of the exhibiters they were told their grades were the most important thing throughout this experience and anyone who fell below the criteria would be barred from the show.
The Strawberry Festival has one of the top shows in the southeastern United States when it comes to revenue brought in by the pigs and the exhibiters were challenged to work hard to maintain that standing.