CINCINNATI — The animals-as-sidewalk-art phenomenon — cows in Chicago last summer, bovines in New York and moose in Toronto this year — has arrived in Cincinnati in the form of flying pigs.
It started with a recent "Flying Pig Marathon," which drew more than 6,000 runners and will continue with the "Big Pig Gig," an outdoor event featuring nearly 400 life-size fiberglass pigs, many of them equipped with wings.
The decorative porkers will be on display through October in downtown Cincinnati and across the Ohio River in Covington and Newport, Ky.
Just as Chicago capitalized on its stockyards and meat-packing history last year with its "Cows on Parade" display of some 300 fiberglass animals — an idea borrowed from Switzerland and being repeated in New York this summer — Cincinnati hopes to ballyhoo its 19th century heritage as the world's leading pork processing center.
"We were very much inspired by the great economic and cultural success Chicago enjoyed from its 'Cows on Parade' and have high hopes that we will emulate it," said Melody Richardson, co-chair of the Big Pig Gig.
Chicago drew an estimated 10 million viewers to its event and enriched the local economy by $200 million, she said.
"We got so carried away with ideas for this event we even thought of having a variation of the running of the bulls at Pamplona using a host of squealing pigs, but the city fathers didn't think much of that idea," she said. "The Big Pig Gig has really captured the imagination of school kids in this area, who have flooded us with their art work."
Back in the 1830s and '40s, Cincinnati's streets and alleys were overrun by pigs headed for slaughter, earning the city the derisive nickname of "Porkopolis."
But as the city rapidly prospered from a vast array of hog products, including the soap that became the cornerstone of the Procter & Gamble empire, the pigs that had made Cincinnati the laughingstock of visitors became a source of local pride.
Flying pig statues sculpted by Andrew Liecester were used as a community symbol in 1988 when the city celebrated its 200th anniversary. Winged pigs are a takeoff on the expression "when pigs fly," exemplifying an invincible local spirit.
The Big Pig Gig is intended to showcase local artistic talent with sprightly designs painted on plastic pigs, which will be sponsored for fees ranging from $2,800 to $10,000 each. Most of the pigs will be mounted on heavy concrete bases.
On Nov. 13, many of the pigs will be sold at a public auction to raise money for charities including ARTWORKS, an art-based job training program for talented local teen-agers.
In between, the schedule calls for a hog-calling contest on Fountain Square, smack in the heart of this urban community and an event at that venue billed as the "World's Largest Picnic," a family-oriented festival with pig-petting, face-painting with porcine designs, bean-bag tossing and guided tours of nearby fiberglass pig exhibits.
Acts gearing up for the summer included the Cincinnati Dancing Pigs and Porky and The Squealers.
Every Sunday afternoon through the summer, local jazz groups will entertain in the Big Pig Jazz Gig at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Many other Big Pig Gig events will be sponsored by radio and television stations.