Pigs in the City
Encyclopedia
Pigs in the City is a public art initiative coordinated by Uptown Lexington, Inc., a non-profit organization created to revitalize the downtown
(or locally called "uptown") area of Lexington. It includes an annual event held in the fall in the uptown business district of Lexington, North Carolina
U.S., the self-proclaimed Barbecue Capital of the World. It is part of a larger downtown revitalization effort which has gained significant media attention due its unusual artistic display of full-size ornamental pigs
and draws visitors from all over North Carolina
. The event is free to the public.
Pigs in the City began in 2003 when the event drew over 40,000 visitors from all over the state in its first year. It became an annual event after 2006. The cost to "sponsor" one of the 20 pigs on display was $1,000 during the first exhibition, which paid for the initiative. There was some controversy as the "Root for the Troops" pig was stolen from its perch in front of the Army & Navy Store on Main Street.
The fourth annual "Pigs in the City" event was held from May 23 through October 23, 2008, and was called "Power of the Pig." The pigs were also on display during the 25th Anniversary Lexington Barbecue Festival
and during the Official Food Festival of the Piedmont Triad
Region of the State of North Carolina, aa one day event that usually draws up to 150,000 visitors from all over the nation to Lexington, a town of about 20,000 residents.
Some of the themes for Pigs in the City 4 include Pigahontas, Tanya "Cabbage Patch" Burcham, This Little Piggy went to Market, Mr. Porkwrench, Huckleberry Pig and Girl Snout.
, and decorated and painted by local artists, each with their own theme. While some pigs are displayed for more than one year, new pigs are created for each year's display.
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
(or locally called "uptown") area of Lexington. It includes an annual event held in the fall in the uptown business district of Lexington, North Carolina
Lexington, North Carolina
Lexington is the county seat of Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 19,953. It is located in central North Carolina, twenty miles south of Winston-Salem. Major highways include I-85, U.S. Route 29, U.S. Route 70, U.S. Route 52 ...
U.S., the self-proclaimed Barbecue Capital of the World. It is part of a larger downtown revitalization effort which has gained significant media attention due its unusual artistic display of full-size ornamental pigs
PIGS
PIGS is a four letter acronym that can stand for:* PIGS , Phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis, class S, a human gene* PIGS , the economies of Portugal, Italy , Greece and Spain...
and draws visitors from all over North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The event is free to the public.
Power of the Pig
The fourth annual "Pigs in the City" event was held from May 23 through October 23, 2008, and was called "Power of the Pig." The pigs were also on display during the 25th Anniversary Lexington Barbecue Festival
Lexington Barbecue Festival
The Lexington Barbecue Festival is a one-day food festival held each October in Lexington, North Carolina, a city that calls itself the "Barbecue Capital of the World." Each year it attracts as many as 160,000 visitors to the uptown Lexington area to sample the different foods from up to 20...
and during the Official Food Festival of the Piedmont Triad
Piedmont Triad
The Piedmont Triad, or Triad, is a north-central region of the U.S. state of North Carolina that consists of the area within and surrounding the three major cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. This close group or "triad" of cities lies in the Piedmont geographical region of the...
Region of the State of North Carolina, aa one day event that usually draws up to 150,000 visitors from all over the nation to Lexington, a town of about 20,000 residents.
Some of the themes for Pigs in the City 4 include Pigahontas, Tanya "Cabbage Patch" Burcham, This Little Piggy went to Market, Mr. Porkwrench, Huckleberry Pig and Girl Snout.
Display
A number of artistic pigs are on display throughout the walkway of uptown Lexington, around the entire city square. The pigs are primarily made of fiberglassFiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
, and decorated and painted by local artists, each with their own theme. While some pigs are displayed for more than one year, new pigs are created for each year's display.
Gallery
Some of these are past entries that are now on permanent display throughout Lexington, or at Uptown Lexington, Inc. main office.See also
- CowParadeCowParadeCowParade is an international public art exhibit that has been featured in major world cities. Fiberglass sculptures of cows are decorated by local artists, and distributed over the city centre, in public places such as train stations, important avenues, and parks. They often feature artwork and...
- Lexington Barbecue FestivalLexington Barbecue FestivalThe Lexington Barbecue Festival is a one-day food festival held each October in Lexington, North Carolina, a city that calls itself the "Barbecue Capital of the World." Each year it attracts as many as 160,000 visitors to the uptown Lexington area to sample the different foods from up to 20...
- North Carolina Barbecue SocietyNorth Carolina Barbecue SocietyNorth Carolina Barbecue Society is a non-profit organization created to promote North Carolina culture and food. They are based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States One of the goals of the organization is to promote barbecue related cultural events such as the Tar Heel Barbecue Classic...
- Big Pig GigBig Pig GigThe Big Pig Gig was a public art exhibit displayed in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, from May 14 to October 31, 2000. In the large-scale event, local artists and schools decorated fiberglass pig statues and installed them throughout the downtown area....
, another public art exhibit that featured pigs