Audiences Go Hog Wild For Pig Racing

Audiences Go Hog Wild For Pig Racing When it comes to generating audience excitement at county fairs and summertime events, nobody does it better than Bart Noll and his All-Alaskan Racing Pigs. Noll’s performance porkers wear colorful numbered bibs as they race from aluminum starting gates around their custom-made track to a small trough of piggy treats at the finish line. A track announcer introduces each contestant before the race to build excitement. “It’s a ‘pig’ deal to watch them kick up woodchips, jump over small hurdles, and go ‘whole hog’ in every heat,” Noll says. In 1987, Noll came up with the idea for pig racing while working as the event coordinator for the Tanana Valley State Fair in Fairbanks, Alaska. He’d seen pictures of racing pigs and decided to organize an event for the fair. It turned out so well that he later brought the idea with him to graduate school in Washington state. “When I started, we used a lot of 2 by 2s, chicken wire and livestock pens on the lawn,” Noll says. “Training the pigs is fairly easy because I’ve never seen a small pig that doesn’t like cookies. The event was such a hit that I refined the performance details and took it on the road. Now the program is even better, with special starting pens, clever track signage, an exciting track announcer, and a photo booth for the race winners.” Noll and his wife, Deanne, ran the show initially, and over the years, his five kids have all helped. They’ve been ticket takers, merchandise sellers, flag-wavers and piggy caretakers. Upon graduating from high school, each of them ran their own team, responsible for all show details, gaining a good sense of business. Like professional athletes, Noll’s performance pigs are all trained in racing tactics. He starts with litters of 6 to 8-week-old Gloucesterhire Old Spots (GOS) pigs, bringing them to his rural Washington farm for socialization and training. Noll says GOS pigs are very smart and quickly pick up racing techniques, sometimes in just one day. “Even though they love to race, they’re naturally calm, curious and have cute spotted markings. They have big ears and are a great example of heritage breeding.” Each spring, he buys a group of weaned pigs and runs them through basic training and socialization. When the show season starts, they board his climate-controlled “Piggie Penthouse” trailer and hit the road. Within two months, the little weanlings have grown to nearly 75 lbs., which is too big for the show. They’re sold to farmers who raise them to market weight, and then he brings in younger, smaller pig performers. “Over the years, we’ve had shows in all West Coast states along with Idaho, Nevada and Arizona,” Noll says. “Our biggest crowd was during the halftime of a Seattle Seahawks NFL game.” Regardless of where they race, pigs in each pen have clever names, including Soapy Smith, Sourdough Jack, Kobuk, Yukon and Strawberry. Strawberry is typically the crowd favorite and poses in a photo booth with showgoers after each race. The Nolls performed the show as a family until the oldest sons started school. Bart and Deanne had other careers, and Bart shared performing with other professional announcers. Eventually, the Noll sons joined the business. In 2012, Bart devoted full-time to running and expanding the business, hiring announcers and providing management from headquarters, with occasional support on the road. 2026 marks the 40th season of the show. “We’re in the business of spreading happiness, and who doesn’t need that nowadays?” Noll says. Recently, he expanded the show format by adding pedal tractor pulls for kids. These take place on a two-lane pulling strip in the center of the race track. Custom pedal tractors are hooked to mini-pulling sleds, just like full-size pulling tractors. “It’s a great addition to our program, and kids ages 4 to 12 participate,” Noll says. The pig races, however, remain the main event. With the track announcer urging the audience to cheer and applaud, the pigs race around the track, leap over small hurdles, and charge toward the treat line. “The pigs always put on a great show, and the audience loves it,” Noll says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bart Noll, All-Alaskan Racing Pigs (info@allalaskan.net; www.pigrace.com).

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