‘The Evergreen’: Pig-N-Ford tradition endures in Tillamook County

By Julie Sabatier (OPB) and Ian McCluskey (OPB)
Aug. 5, 2024 1 p.m.
This zany race combines Ford Model T’s, pigs and a dirt track at the Tillamook county fairground. The Pig-N-Ford has been an Oregon tradition for nearly 100 years.

The Pig-N-Ford is a zany, century old Tillamook County competition.

Stephani Gordon / OPB

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You may be familiar with Ferris wheels, funnel cakes, quilting competitions and demolition derbies. But the Tillamook County Fair has a unique event you’ve probably never heard of: Pig-N-Ford races. Racers hold piglets while driving around a dirt track on stripped-down Ford Model T cars. (Sounds cute, right?) The tradition has endured for close to 100 years and some families have been racing for generations. “Oregon Field Guide” producer Ian McCluskey takes us to Tillamook County to find out what keeps this event going.

Listen to all episodes of The Evergreen podcast here.

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