Word: pigging
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Surprise Encore!, an exaggerated effort to satirize American rock 'n' rollers. That work's time has passed, but the impulse that inspired it remains. In Bald Mountain, Mussorgsky's music is suddenly interrupted by a prolonged cadenza of what can only be called socialist jazz jungle drumming. Pairs of pig-snouted satyrs and lissome succubi writhe lustily as syncopated kettledrums accompany an orgy of things that go bump and grind in the night. The outburst is as unexpected as it is finally gratuitous. But after an evening of demure wholesomeness, it makes a welcome, rowdy change...
...into oblivion were it not for the victim's reputation. Bryant, 33, was widely known as a longtime Hare Krishna who had turned against the sect in recent years. A bit of a crank, he bounced between West Virginia and California telling lawmen that the ever chanting, saffron- robed, pig-tailed, panhandling sect had turned corrupt...
...wrong, for this is pig racing, run on an 85-ft. sawdust oval track, and the porkers do not dawdle: the swiftest swine cross the finish line in 5 or 6 sec. In his best Kentucky Derby style, Holding calls the race: "Pigmalion's first out of the box, with the lead on the rail. Hamtrak settles into second, with Flying Frank third." Suddenly his voice rises excitedly: "Here comes Boaris Karloff on the outside, closing fast around the final turn!" Holding is drowned out by the shouts of the crowd as the pack pounds down the stretch...
This is the tenth year that the racing pigs have made the Midwest fair circuit, drawing more than 3 million fans so far in eight states ranging from Ohio to Iowa. Holding, formerly advertising director at Heinold, was half jesting in 1976 when he first mentioned to then President Harold Heinold the idea of staging pig races as a way to promote the company's name. "He looked at me and said, 'Work it out for next year.' Just like that." Holding read up on how Pavlov had trained his dogs and then set up a makeshift starting gate...
...typical day at Heinold Downs features 22 races, five pigs to a race. Each animal races four or five times a day. A tote board at trackside lists the number of victories and best time for the five entrants in each race, so pig players have some stats to ponder before betting. In the hurdle events, the pigs must jump 11-, 14- and 16-in. barriers. "Pigs are natural jumpers," says Holding. "Put a hurdle between them and food, and they learn fast how to clear it. These guys are no dummies." Actually, most of the guys are girls...