Man enters pig in sheep-herding contest. Pig wins.
Anyone within oinking distance of a movie theater or video store in the past year knows the clever premise behind the Oscar-winning barnyard fantasy, "Babe."
But come September, that improbable Hollywood story line will get a real-life treatment at northwestern Colorado's Super Bowl for the herd-dog set, the Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship Trials.
For the competition's 10th anniversary, organizers aim to piggyback on the film's success by staging a Sept. 7 "re-enactment" of the key scene, wherein Babe the pig sweet-talks a flock of sheep through its paces and outscores the dogs at Australia's national trials.
Meeker officials are inviting anyone with a pig - and the $50 entry fee - to register. They'll hold a "Babes of the World" drawing to choose three little pigs to actually compete for the $500, winner-take-all prize. Those not picked get their entry fees refunded.
While animal behaviorists say pigs are smart, the "Babe" pig's performance was merely make-believe. How, then, will wanna-Babes herd sheep in real life? More to the point, can they?
"I really don't know," trials founder Gus Halandras said somewhat sheepishly on Monday. "I don't know how they did the movie, or if it can be done. Everybody tells me the pig has to be sort of herded himself."
Nonetheless, he said he can't imagine that a few hammy pig owners won't try.
"It's in the spirit of fun. I want people to come to this neat little town and share it with us," said Halandras, who was unexpectedly charmed by the movie.
"I went in (to the movie) thinking, `I'm wasting my time,' " he said. "I came out absolutely elated. I enjoyed the silly thing."
As in the movie, however, there are anti-swine whines from dog-trials purists who want hams banned.
"My top-notch competitors have already informed me that I'm cheap-ening the trials," Halandras said. "Everybody is looking at me and laughing with tongue-in-cheek. But I guarantee them that the sheep will be just as tough."
So far, though, there are no pigs in Halandras' poke.
In addition, he is drawing a shorter, less-complicated trials course for the pigs.