Pig stampede at Shenandoah County Fair called 'unfair and unjust'

DRINK — The Shenandoah County Fair pig race came under scrutiny at the Woodstock City Council meeting Tuesday night after a Lorton resident made the 90-minute drive to speak out against the event popular.

The Pig Race takes place every year, with over 300 local children taking part in last summer’s rendition. Children aged 3 to 8, with their hands covered in lard, are tasked with catching one of the running pigs. If a child manages to capture one of the 3-month-old pigs up for grabs, they will take it home.

The Woodstock Town Council does not organize or have authority over the event. The Shenandoah County Fair Association, a private entity, manages the pig race. Tina Ciccariello, who came to Tuesday’s meeting to protest the event, said she had been unable to make contact with association members and asked the Woodstock City Council to take up her cause.

“The pig rush is unfair and unjust,” Ciccariello said. “Sometimes the pigs get hurt. I think it’s unfair to the animals and it’s not an appropriate activity. We can do something else.”

Ciccariello currently has an active petition on change.org titled “Stop the Pig Rush at the Shenandoah County Fair!” » The petition was launched on April 20 and has 264 signatures, more than half of its goal of 500.

“Should a 3 year old who maybe doesn’t know how to write his name chase a 3-4 month old pig for fun, and should we encourage it? I don’t think we should” , Ciccariello said. . “I think it’s pretty sick and pretty disgusting.”

Mayor Jeremy McCleary asked Ciccariello if she had attended the pig race.

“No, I will not attend. I have seen the photos. I have spoken to the people who wrote articles about this event,” Ciccariello said. “I’m not going to witness something like that, sir. The pictures speak loudly. When you have children who are only 3 years old with a pig’s back legs in the air like a wheelbarrow, it’s not is not funny to me. As a woman, I was chased and had to hide somewhere when I was a student. The pigs have nowhere to go.

McCleary, later in the meeting, thanked Ciccariello for her comments and then spoke in favor of the event.

“I support our county fair. I also support the pig race,” McCleary said. “My kids participated in it. I think it’s fun for the kids. They catch the pig, they raise it and feed it. I think it creates a love of farming in our kids.”

According to city minutes, Ciccariello also attended the April 2 city council meeting where she expressed similar concerns.