Written by Daniel Bell, Rome News-Tribune
At Darlington's Lower School on Monday afternoon [Oct. 20], 33 furry, battery-operated competitors entered a series of races to determine the quickest pig, and when the oinking was over and the contest decided, an orange porker in camouflage pants was declared winner.
“I’m in first place?” asked kindergartner Ben Scarborough in disbelief after picking up his prize-winning pig. “These pants didn’t even slow him down.”
The contest was the end celebration for the school’s magazine fundraising effort. This year the school raised more than $20,000 during the parent-driven effort, said Rosa Kelley, president of Tiger Pride, the school’s parent group.
The top six magazine sellers were awarded prizes, and every student who sold at least 15 magazines was given a furry toy pig that oinks, wiggles its tail, and crawls along at a deliberate pace. Students were encouraged to dress up their colorful racers, and while some chose not to, a pig in pants proved fastest in the end. The top three magazine sellers were Rosalee Kelley, a fourth-grader who sold 65 magazines, Caroline McRay, a first-grader who sold 55, and kindergartner Maddigan Flournoy.
The 33 racers were spilt into three heats and the winners of each raced a second time to determine the overall winners. Scarborough won the $40 top prize, a purple pig belonging to siblings Claire and Carter Anderson placed second, and Maggie Mauer’s pink piggy finished third.
