Who's going? It's coming up.......Aug. 10-13 (Wed Thurs Fri Sat) At the Tillamook County Fair.......See ya there. Here is coverage and video from the 2012 event. http://bangshift.com/bangshiftapex/now-youve-seen-footage-2012-pig-n-ford-races-tillamook-oregon/ http://www.tillamookfair.com/schedulefairevents.htm
Been an Oregon resident all of my 62 years, never been, my wife said it's about time we go. Lots of info and photos on the net. It's said to be world famous, I've seen it covered by the Wall Street Journal, Bangshift and others. Tillamook is famous for its cheese, ice cream, etc. On Oregons central coast.
Too much happening on the same weekend. I'll be in Port Townsend wa on my sailboat that weekend with my boat buds. And my cannons.
Read about this in a late sixties Rod & Custom about 45 years ago and have always wanted to go! Some day...
The Pig-N-Ford Races are an auto racing event staged at the fair. The races are run every August during, and as a feature of, the Tillamook County Fair. Drivers use stripped Model T Fordswith stock mechanicals. Five cars are lined up with the engines off at the start line of the Averill Arena horse racing track. Drivers stand next to the grandstands. When the starter pistol fires, the drivers run to the opposite side of the front straight, grab a live 20-pound pig from a bin, then must hand-crank their car and drive it one lap. They then stop, kill the engine, get a different pig, and race another lap. The first driver to complete three laps in this manner without losing their pig is the winner.[1] The race was first run in 1925. The official[who?] story is that two local farmers were chasing a runaway pig in their Model Ts and were having so much fun, they decided it should be a race at the next county fair. The Pig-N-Ford Races have been run every year since 1925. Drivers belong to the Tillamook County Model T Pig-N-Ford Association, and membership is often a lifelong affair. Cars and memberships are often passed down through families or sold to close friends. Some of the cars that first ran in 1925 are still on the track today.
Chip August weather forecast for Phoenix is 100 degrees plus. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Tillamook is 70 (ish) degrees. You won't be seeing me ANYWHERE near Phoenix.
Racing your old FORD with a pig in your lap,100 degrees,I would think the next step is BBQ,,,ummm-with a side of Bacon! HRP
Trust me, I'm aware of the Phoenix forecast for the next month! Sad part? I used to load the Plymouth on July 1st every year, and head up to Washington state to work for the summer. I never knew when this was, and never thought to find out.... Been to Tillamook many times in the Plym on the way home and up, too. Someday soon I have to head up to that end of the country again and hang out when it's hot.... Then we'll discuss that BBQ!
Chip, If you are like my buds in Bako, you'll be want'n tri-tip right. Spose HRP will be expecting that pig though. Tillamook never was our first choice for beach going for us until we discovered a couple places around there, one of our go-to's now.
Typically, the St. Paul (Oregon) Rodeo has these every year as well at their even from July 1st through the 4th. - EM
Getting closer. Trying to decide how to take photos, who cares, probably could send from previous years and nobody would know the difference right.
Well that was a real hoot (squeal), the Tillamook County Fair. Not the best shots, but like I said probably looks about the same year to year. One of those events that has to be experienced, quite entertaining, also had a demolition derby but took no photos of it. As you can see by the full grandstands, this is a big deal for the town of Tillamook and surrounding area so a word of warning, get your seats (early), not reserved but most have people saving them. Don't miss the Tillamook ice cream either, it's the best.
Yes it really was a lot of fun, I even enjoyed the "can we see the rabbits George" exhibits. I grew up in another small Oregon agricultural town and after I left I said I would never live in a small town again, boy do I eat those words now. The rat race of the big city (or close to it) is not my idea of a good time anymore. I would highly recommend this to anyone planning a trip to the NW, kids or not, you will enjoy it. The part about saving seats is because there are horse races prior to the pig/Ford races and demolition derby and only a few people give up their seats so that part is not so much fun, I had to sit with only one cheek on the bench for a bit and that is not good on an old mans' back.
The Jalopy Journal
