In a partnership with the Trigg County Chamber of Commerce, the Trigg-Cadiz Tourist Commission, Planters Bank in Hopkinsville and landowner Bob Arnold, proud community members gathered Friday morning in Broadbent Square, in order to welcome and unveil a stunning, 10-foot fiberglass pig.
Weighing 350 pounds and seven feet wide, the structure took 300 hours to craft at BrainChild Creative just outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Like a patchwork quilt, its skin is adorned with historic scenes and burghs of Trigg County — from the illicit moonshining at Golden Pond, to the barns filled with dark-fired tobacco. And as the tarp was pulled from the pristine pork, many scrambled to find their hometown — Caledonia, Montgomery, Wallonia, Cerulean — and grab a photo.
In her last act with the Trigg County Chamber of Commerce before moving fully into Cadiz-Trigg County’s tourism executive director, Beth Sumner said the sculpture — a lady, for those who inquire — succinctly captures the spirit of Cadiz and Trigg County.
And this is only the beginning.
Sumner said this project will expand from the concrete pigs already all over Trigg County, to the fiberglass pigs coming in from Owensboro, to another 8-foot fiberglass pig sculpture that is already in the works for Trigg County sports themes at the Trigg County Recreation Complex.
The point, Sumner added, is to draw attention to Cadiz and Trigg County’s rich history, which runs all the way back to its 1820 founding, and certainly includes the delicacies of fine swine dining.
The idea of using pigs as a focus, Sumner said, came from Trigg Chamber board member, Princeton native and longtime grocer Mallory Lawrence — who drew inspiration from a CBS Sunday Morning story about Casey, Illinois, and its special visitor offerings.
Lawrence hopes this pig, and the others here and on the way, leads to more opportunity.
Sumner said those looking to secure one of the Owensboro pigs, or perhaps wishing to have their own fiberglass creation, should contact her at the tourism office.
Meanwhile, WKDZ Radio will open a naming contest for this sculpture next week, with the winning name revealed at the Annual Ham Festival Kick-off Breakfast in October.
