And these little pigs went to the farm fair

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

More than a dozen pigs will race three or four times daily during the Hawai'i State Farm Fair, which is opening a three-weekend run tonight. A child from the audience will be selected to guess the winning pig and will get a prize if the winner was picked. The winning pig also gets treats — usually Oreo cookies.

Yep, pig out.

A total of 17 pigs, here for the fair, journeyed from New York to Oakland, Calif., in air-conditioned comfort before hopping on a Matson ship with their trainer-owner to sail to Hawai'i.

And fair organizers hope there will be squeals of delight when the pigs race — yep, you read that right — four times daily during the fair.

That's a lot of pork, by anyone's count.

"My pigs are happy and they enjoy what they're doing," said Steve Boger, who, with wife Kathy, operate Hambone Express, an entertainment company specializing in racing pigs.

"It's like a horse race, with a starting gate, but smaller, and the pigs scoot around the track, with the winner getting treats," said Boger, reached on his cell phone when he was still 120 miles south of Oakland en route to Honolulu. His pigs were in a trailer behind him.

"For each race, we pick a child from the audience to be a participant, too, to select the winning pig. If the pig wins, the child gets a prize, too," Boger said.

Pig-raising and pig-racing have been a decade-long business for the Bogers, who live in Springdale, Ark., where they raise and train their pigs to figuratively bring home the bacon. And it's the first time here for the Bogers and their pigs.

"Pigs are like people," Boger said. "Some learn quickly, some are slower."

The pigs are mostly of the Yorkshire (pure white) and Hampshire (black with white) breeds.

They eat formulated pig rations, nothing special, and when they win a race, they are rewarded with cookies. Usually Oreos.

"The winner gets the cookie, the losers get the crumbs," he laughed. But not really. All the pigs get a little nibble as a reward; that's why they adore racing, to earn that treat.

The oinkers range in weight from 15 pounds to 40 pounds.

"Pigs are intelligent animals," he said. "And they're fast."

Boger has given whimsical names to his racers, like Slick Willy, Hillary Hog, Al Bore and Monica Pigenski.

"We travel with more (pigs) than we need, because it's like the Olympics — you need alternates," he said. "Just in case one pulls a hamstring."

Further, the pigs are drug-free, he noted. "No steroids."

Boger said he's gone through the red tape of Hawai'i quarantine requirements. His pigs live high on the hog and are not abused, but he anticipates some reaction from animal-rights activists who may frown on the use of any animal for entertainment purposes.

"Why would we mistreat them? The pigs don't work for me. We work together," Boger said.

"They never complain, they have a good life. They got it made," he said of his pigs.

Hambone Express regularly visits fairs and has traveled offshore, too, to spots such as Puerto Rico. Besides the races, there's an educational aspect in what the Bogers do.

The pigs don't get seasick during ocean crossings and they mostly sleep in transit, Boger said.

"I wish I had it that easy," he said.