Every Pig Has Its Day -- Puyallup Couple's Hogs Are A Traditional Part Of The Western Washington Fair

Life can seem pretty miserable when you weigh 700 pounds, are pregnant and have no sweat glands. Sometimes there is only one solution: Find a shady mud puddle and plop.

The pleasures are few for Liza, the 700-pound-plus sow. A scratch on the tender pink skin behind her ears, the feel of a stick rubbed along her lumpy girth or the feel of cool mud on her prickly haired back can bring a contented grunt.

It's hard to say if the stoic-looking Hampshire-Yorkshire crossbreed will find pleasure in the next three weeks as she moves to an exhibit pen at the Western Washington Fair, more commonly known as the Puyallup Fair. If all goes as planned, she'll give birth to sixteen or so pink pudgy piglets in front a crowd of excited children, parents and others.

Birthing pigs at the Puyallup Fair is almost as traditional as those tasty hot raspberry scones that everybody buys within minutes of passing through the gates. Both Howard and Bernadene Young's pig display and Kent-based Fisher Fair Scones Inc. are two of the contributions from South King and North Pierce counties to the sixth-largest fair in the country.

Since 1956, the Youngs of Puyallup have brought their Hampshire and Yorkshire pigs to the fair for the enjoyment of fairgoers. This year, Liza is the biggest of their four sows which are expected to deliver during the fair. Some of their other hearty swine have graced Puyallup Fair publicity photos during the past three decades.

"They love the attention at the fair," assures Bernadene as she watches the pregnant sows roll around under the old barn. Besides Liza, they include Roseanne (named after the TV actress), Lily (after comedian Lily Tomlin) and Petunia (after the flower). Bernadene and her husband have been raising hogs since they were children living on farms in Nebraska.

Howard made money in high school with his pet boar. He charged nearby farmers $1 to have his boar breed with their sows.

The Youngs' tradition of showing pigs at the Puyallup Fair began with their seven children - five boys and two girls - and 4-H and Future Farmers of America, two youth organizations that promote agricultural enterprise. About 15 years ago, the Youngs' hogs were given their own official display. That's when the couple decided to control the breeding of their sows so they would deliver during the fair.

"When one of our children had a pig who had babies at the fair, people were so interested in it, we decided to continue with it," said Bernadene, 69. "Its one of things people look for when they come to the Puyallup Fair." The sows usually average about 12 piglets. The largest litter was 26.

While the Youngs also raise chickens and cattle on a 16-acre farm which they dubbed the Poverty Hill Farm, hogs are their favorite because of their intelligence and charm. They raise more than 100 hogs a year.

Their home reflects their love for the four-legged animals. Around the front room is a pig-shaped magazine holder, on the wall is a clock with pig-shaped arms and at the kitchen entrance lays a welcome mat with a pig on it. Crammed inside a five-foot-high wood and glass cabinet by the front door is Bernadene's prized pig collection - glass, brass, knitted, ceramic, plastic and wood pigs.

And then's there the crystal pig her son purchased on a trip to Puerto Rico that she keeps in its package for fear of breaking it. Most of her pig collection is gifts from her children and friends.

"If I have to care for something, I want to take care of pigs," said Bernadene. "You don't have to teach a pig something twice."

That makes it easy at the fair. Once the pigs learn where their pen is, they can find their way back from the wash rack. Bernadene said she follows the pigs to warn humans out of their way.

"They're the smartest animal around on four legs," said Howard, 72. "People just don't realize it because pigs don't often live past six months" since they're sold for meat.

A Kent firm, Fisher Fair Scones, also plays a big role in tradition at the Puyallup Fair.

While Mike Maher works at least six fairs a year, his favorite is the Puyallup Fair. Every year, Fisher Fair Scones Inc. sells about 750,000 scones in three weeks to Puyallup fairgoers.

The company has been baking scones for fairgoers since 1915.

Maher, general manager, starts getting ready for the fair in June. There's ovens to clean, booths to paint and a couple hundred workers to be hired and trained. And then there's the 15 tons of raspberry jam and the eight tons of butter to transport to the fairgrounds.

Once the fair begins, he puts in 16-hour days.

"Eating scones is part of going to the fair," he said. "It's the fair's trademark."

But what makes it fun coming back to the fair every year are the friends Maher sees only at the fair and the sense of community that is created during the three weeks.

"It's such a big event. It's kind of fun to see people come together and make something big. It's like building a little city for three weeks," said Mahler.

Fair opens tomorrow

-- The Puyallup Fair opens tomorrow and continues through Sept. 27.

-- Gate hours: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

-- Barns open at 8 a.m.

-- Commercial exhibit hours: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays.

-- Admission: adults $6, students (12-18) $4, children (6-11) $3, seniors $3 (weekdays only).

-- Public parking: $4 per day at Fair's red, blue, yellow and gold lots; gates open until 7 p.m.

-- Fair hotline: 841-5045. The fairgrounds are at Ninth Avenue and Meridian Street South.

-- Schedule of events: See listing of special events on H 2.