By his second round in the greased-pig contest, Mr. Frank Furter was starting to figure things out.

The idea for a greased-pig catching contest has been around in farm country for decades, but this year it was a first for the Washington County Fair. At 4 p.m. Monday, the announcer laid out the rules: five age groups, 10 contestants per group, no jumping on the pig, no leaping at the pig, no tackling the pig. Anyone who captured the pig, hauled it to the center of the ring and held it for 15 seconds won the round. Each round was limited to 10 minutes, although in the end none lasted much more than a minute.

Outside the barn, Lisa McNish dipped her hand in a big can of shortening and went to work greasing the pigs, Mr. Frank Furter for the older ages and the petite Mr. Chris P. Bacon for the smaller kids. The pigs didn’t seem to mind it, and Chris gobbled up a nugget that dropped on the ground. Next to the ring, organizers greased up the hands and forearms of the contestants.

The adults went first, standing around the rails as the pig was shunted into the ring. The announcer counted down, and at zero they went after the pig. Jason Kline prevailed in that round, holding Frank in a bearhug for 15 seconds.

Children in the 12-to-14 age division chase a greased pig during a contest Monday afternoon at the Washington County Fair. The event was the first of its kind for the fair and is expected to return next year.

The rounds were arranged so that the two pigs got breaks between appearances, and when Frank came back for the 15-18 year olds, he kept to the rails, causing innumerable collisions and holding off all would-be captors until Dawson Snider managed to catch his back legs and hold him in place.

When Frank returned for the 12-14 year olds, he didn’t merely hold to the rails, but when captured by the back legs by Christy Willis, he simply laid down. Trying to haul him to the center of the arena was like pulling a heavy load in a wheelbarrow with a flat tire.

Willis, 12, from Lower Salem, said she was worried when she went into the ring.

“But then I heard my friends cheering me, so I was fine,” she said.

Riley Dunbarger from Lowell, a Marietta Middle School student, said she entered the same round for the experience.

“I just thought it would be fun to chase a pig – and it was!” she said.

Dawson Snider, a Marietta High School student, said his entry was a last-minute decision.

“Me and my girlfriend were sitting there, and I just decided to go ahead,” he said. Was it difficult?

“Nah, I thought it would be harder than it was,” he said.

In the younger age groups, who pursued Mr. Chris P. Bacon, the winners were Aaden Bills in the 9-11 class and Madi Zimmer in the 6-8 class.

Pig chases in some jurisdictions are restricted – in Minnesota, for example, they are outlawed on the basis they might be inhumane – but at the fair it drew a big, enthusiastic crowd, with the bleachers in the multi-purpose building filled and children kneeling on the floor around the ring to watch. When the announcer asked whether the event should be held next year, the crowd cheered.

Michael Kelly can be contacted at mkelly@mariettatimes.com.