Back in the mud: Pig wrestling returns Thursday at Big Horn County Fair

Forty-five pigs will be trucked up from Wheatland for Big Horn County Fair’s pig wrestling competition on Thursday, July 31. 

This is the second year Bill Klein has supplied Big Horn County Fair pigs after a hiatus stemming from a lack of contractors in the area. 

“We found [Klein] was willing to do it, because he didn’t want to see it completely die,” fair operations manager Catherine Foss said. 

The event has remained popular, with only one slot left for peewee teams (ages 5-8) as of last week. 

“It hasn’t taken very long to fill that up,” Foss said. 

One of her favorite parts of the competition are the team names. On this year’s roster are “Porky’s Pit Crew,” “Bacon Brawlers” and “Hog Hooligans.”

Intermediate and junior teams are filled out, with room for men’s and women’s teams. The event will run as a calcutta. Peewees can look forward to $1 gold coin prizes to replace the usual $2 bills. 

“Every kid loves treasures, so I think we’re going to do treasures this year,” Foss said. 

The grandstand event will be held Thursday, July 31 at 7 p.m. 

Foss recommends purchasing tickets in advance online at bighornfair.com. Pig wrestling will remain open until full; to sign up, visit bighornfair.com/forms-entries or stop by the fair office in Basin.