Angry fair board cancels hog wrestling

MUNCIE – In the wake of online petitions decrying the Delaware County Fair's hog wrestling as "sadistic" and "barbaric," the fair board met Wednesday evening and canceled the event.

In an hour-long meeting with sometimes angry, sometimes emotional speeches for and against hog wrestling, the board decided — in a split vote, the numbers of which were not released — to cancel hog wrestling.

Members also proposed trying an online crowd-funding site to raise $9,000 to $12,000 to replace the revenue to be lost by canceling the event.

The meeting — attended by fair board members, a few officials and a Star Press reporter but no protestors — saw the discussion go back and forth from canceling hog wrestling to defiantly going ahead with it despite petition signers who — fair board members noted — were not necessarily from Delaware County.

Veteran fair volunteer, retired educator and former Delaware County Council member John Wright summed up the prevailing opinion just before the vote.

"We need to decide what is good for our community and our (4-H) kids," Wright said. "I'm not sure it's worth the fight."

Fair volunteer James Mansfield of the Muncie Visitors Bureau was one of many who argued against canceling, saying, "If we bow down to these threats, where does it stop?"

Fair board members included the possibility of picketers at this year's fair among the concerns, although they noted that no one showed up to speak against the event at Wednesday evening's meeting.

Hog wrestling had been set for the Friday night of fair week, which begins July 20.

Hog wrestling — a county fair event from the past revived in the past seven years — has sparked a few recent protests. But an online petition at Change.org — signed by thousands of people from outside the area and even outside the United States — was created after The Star Press reported in April that hog wrestling was among the events, including rodeo and demolition derby, planned for this year's fair.

People who signed the petition called hog wrestling "sadistic" and "barbaric." In a May 3 article in The Star Press about the petition, fair board President Jane Lasater said she didn't consider the event animal cruelty. But the county commissioners — who appoint fair board members — said they had concerns about the event and Lasater decided to call Wednesday night's meeting.

Among the concerns facing officials were not only charges of cruelty to stressed or injured hogs — which are supplied by a Southern Indiana hog wrestling promoter — but also finding a replacement event that will generate revenue for the fair.

Officials said that sometimes as many as 100 teams — ranging from youngsters to adults, many of them promoting businesses or political candidates — can participate in a night of hog wrestling.

Contact Keith Roysdon at 765-213-5828 and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.