HARRINGTON — Eighteen eager individuals were onstage at the Delaware State Fair on Thursday, hoping to rub noses with an aptly named, 3-month-old piglet, Pucker Up.
The Delaware 4-H Foundation’s 31st annual Pig Kissing Contest, which raises money for 4-H’s Junior Exhibitor Scholarships, collected $12,500. Over the years, the swine spectacle has garnered $243,000 for the cause.
In 2024, Brandon Yerkes of Newark led the fundraisers with $1,765. So, he got first dibs with Pucker Up on Thursday.
“I raised (money) through family and friends, and my son’s (Little League) baseball games and just donations from local businesses,” he said. “It feels good to give back to the kids. That’s what it’s all for.”
When describing what it was like to pucker up to Pucker Up, he laughed and said, “It tastes like bacon.”
Ann Busker raised $1,452, Ally Wheatly $1,266 and J.T. Robbins $1,135 to round out the top efforts in this year’s contest.
During Thursday’s event, they and the rest of the participants all tried their hands in some crazy competitions.
“It’s a great time,” said Karen Williams, who has served as the contest’s emcee for more than 10 years. “It’s a little stressful when it rains, but it’s a lot of fun having to come up with something for each one of them to do.
“When I was a contestant, they told us (what we were going to do). So, it’s fun trying to find pig-related things.”
For instance, the contestants drew pigs by holding markers in their mouths, played “Pin the Snout on the Pig,” made pigs out of newspaper and tape in three minutes, or danced in the “Swine Lake” ballet.
Some also decorated cupcakes to look like pigs, played “Who Wants to be a Pig Farmer?” put rubber pigs back in a box by transporting them across the stage between their legs or tossed pigskins into a target with altered-perception goggles.
It certainly amused the many onlookers, mainly family members and friends.
Doug Crouse, who had more than five decades of Delaware 4-H involvement before retiring earlier this year, said the Pig Kissing Contest is always a sight to behold.
“You could see by the crowd that it’s entertaining for them, but it’s also fun for the people to do it,” said Mr. Crouse, who still volunteers for 4-H. “(The participants) collect money for a good cause, our 4-H Junior Exhibitor Scholarship, and it’s fun for everybody.”
He added that the funds raised this year will likely enable at least 10 scholarships.
The competitors said it is the fun and camaraderie that make the smooching worthwhile — along with raising money for students planning a future in agriculture.
“It’s for a great cause, and we benefited because our son got a scholarship last year,” Ms. Williams said. “You can use it at the University of Delaware, and we’re so appreciative of the effort these people are doing.”
Staff writer Mike Finney can be reached at 302-741-8230 or mfinney@iniusa.org.
Follow @MikeFinneyDSN on X.
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