BY CAROL MOSLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Not many people, even Bradford County residents, have ever heard of the tiny town of Graham. It’s a quiet little enclave in west Bradford between Brooker and Starke. There are no stores and no seat of governance. There’s a nursery and a shooting range. And, a whole lot of independent people. There’s a part-time post office, that doesn’t deliver mail, which is the only thing that keeps Graham on the map.
But, a couple of times per year the trucks start lining up at about 5 p.m. with family
members inside, prepared to spend the night in their vehicle, ready to get the first picks from Crawford Show Pigs the next morning. These are diehard fair participants who come from near and far to this word-of-mouth gathering to bid on their perfect pig for showing at the next county or regional fair. There were hundreds of folks of all ages ready to place their bids on some 70 pigs.
The day began with owner Phillip Crawford giving the invocation and logistics. The family members were all there with various tasks to make the day go smoothly. Young Jett Crawford has the weekend duty of tending to the pigs. He’s a winning three year Bradford County Fair showman himself and is proud to be a contributing member of the family business. Niece Kiren Crawford raises her own pigs to show. She’s been a 4-H member since 6th grade and she’s now a senior.
There was a spread of breakfast foods to start the activities, certainly welcomed by the overnighters, and then it was time to view the pigs. The families gathered around the fenced areas as the pigs were let out of their pens into the open for viewing. The small pigs, bearing numbers painted on their backs, cavorted with each other in the sawdust, to the delight of the spectators.
Showing pigs at a county fair is a real labor of love. Ashlynn Turknett is a Bradford County resident and former 4-H member from four years until graduation. Then she initiated her own show pig group to fill a hole in Union County that had no leader in that field. She is anxious to get ready for next year’s fair to show off the results of her nurturing. But, she’s mostly determined to provide opportunities for her young group members to have the kinds of experiences she’s had. She was in line early with the self-defined “crazy ladies” who show up in a car the night before in order to pick out one of the “top pigs.”
The adults all felt that the whole process of raising and showing the animals offers valuable life lessons for the kids, everything from taking responsibility for a living creature to financial management. And it takes determination, since the investment of time and energy usually doesn’t meet with immediate compensation for the monetary input. It takes year after year of shows. But money isn’t the impetus for participation anyhow. It’s about a passion. The reward of the process along the way is greater than money, and even greater than the ribbons won.
Phillip Crawford has an obvious real affection for this work. It is much more than just a job or a business. It’s a vocation. When asked what makes pigs so special he pointed out their fine characteristics of intelligence and affectionate nature. And, he pointed out that they taste good, too. Crawford’s reputation comes from the quality of care he puts in and the health of the pigs he raises. His passion is tied to the opportunity it provides for the youth. He said there were seven different February to March fairs represented at the auction.
Ava Thomas already won the Very Berry prize for her Strawberry Pound Cake and
will enter a Strawberry Upside Down Cake next year. But she’s anxious to expand her entries to also raise and show a pig for the next Bradford County Fair. She was one of the early birds in line with her family the night before.
Gwen Billhart is in the Future Farmers of America program and traveled from Marion County to pick out a pig to show at the Southeastern Youth Fair. This was her first time coming to this event in Graham.
At the end of the day, the pigs were headed to their new homes to be pampered and nurtured by their delighted owners until they are ready to make a showing at the various fairs.
