Bacon Buddies was developed in Iowa in 2019 after Kylee Brown, a then-high school student from Earlham, heard about a similar show in Wisconsin. Discussions among Brown and her classmates, the Iowa Pork Producers Association, the Iowa State Fair board, and Special Olympics of Iowa helped get the first such show at the fair the following year. “While it takes special mentors to be able to communicate with the Special Olympics athlete, it also takes an athlete who will be able to handle so many aspects of showing that we take advantage of every day,” Brown says. “It’s inspiring to watch these athletes work through their disabilities to be successful.”
Crook County will be the first in county Oregon to include a Bacon Buddies show in the Fair line-up. For the first year of the program, we are keeping the show small, with only 6 Buddies and 12 Mentors, and a partnership with 4-H. In future shows we hope to expand our partnerships to include FFA and Open Class swine exhibitors, increase the number of participants, and include other animal species.
The Crook County Fair Bacon Buddies is made possible with grant funds from the Crook County Cultural Coalition.
For more information, please contact Haley: haley.crow@co.crook.or.us / (541) 447-6575