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It might not be quite as muddy as pig wrestling, but organizers promise the replacement event for the Campbell County Fair this year will still be just as exciting.
In place of its popular pig wrestling event, the Campbell County Fair will now host an “American Ninja Warrior”-style event, in which teams of four will race through a massive obstacle course, testing their skills and strength.
“We still wanted to have something for our community to participate in, so this seemed like the best option,” county fair Coordinator Liz Edwards told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday.
The mobile “Ninja Nation” obstacle course will be 15 feet high and 150 feet in length and feature dual race lanes so competitors can race side-by-side through various obstacles. All of the obstacles are elevated off of the ground.
Four divisions of teams will be able to compete in “Ninja Nation,” with up to 15 teams per division.
“This is a really good fit for our Friday night audience,” Edwards said.
The “Ninja Nation” obstacle course is modeled off of those seen in the reality competition series “American Ninja Warrior.” The show features thousands of competitors attempting to complete a series of increasingly tougher obstacle courses.
“Ninja Nation” will just stay in Campbell County, though.
The admission for the Aug. 5 event is $5.
The Campbell, Park and Washakie county fairs all had to cancel their pig wrestling events due to a lack of available pigs from their supplier, Cowboy State Daily reported in June.
Edwards said that there has been a positive buzz in the community about the replacement event, although people were quite disappointed to lose pig wrestling this year.
Whether pig wrestling will return in the future is another question entirely.
“We’ll wait until after the fair to process all the information and go forward from there,” Edwards said.
The lack of available pigs can be attributed to inflation and pandemic disruptions, as pork prices have gone up 13% in the last year, according to Tyson Foods, the nation’s largest meat processor. The price of feed has also increased in the last year, putting a strain on livestock producers to either kill or sell any extra animals in order to avoid any extra costs.
The Gillette fair usually has anywhere from 60 to 80 pigs in its wrestling event as there are several categories that teams can participate in, from young children to adults.
Other pig wrestling events in the state, such as the one at the Laramie County Fair, appear to still be on for early August.
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