PIKEVILLE, Ky. — It’s not officially Hillbilly Days until the pig poops. Wait, What? That’s right For the past three years during Hillbilly Days, Hillbilly Christmas in July has hosted a pig drop.

A pig is placed in a pen with 100 squares marked on a tarp at the bottom. Participants can buy a square for $20 and if the pig does his business on that square, whoever has that number wins half of the proceeds. The other half is donated to Shriner’s Hospital for Children.

This year’s pig drop was a little different and officials say we can expect something different for next year as well.

“The two founders of Hillbilly Days was Shady Grady and Howard ‘Dirty Ear’ Stratton,” said Hillbilly Christmas in July co-chair Jimmy Kinney. “Next year we will have two pigs and they will be called Dirty Ear and Shady. So that we can keep the tradition going and these two guys that founded Hillbilly Days … we’re gonna keep their memory going forever.” 

“Whoever the mayor of Pikeville is at 11 a.m. on the Friday of Hillbilly Days, will always drop the pig in the pin,” added Pikeville Mayor Jimmy Carter. “You know, Jimmy’s always coming up with great ideas of different ways to raise money for the children’s hospital and I think it’s a great thing.”

The winner of this year’s pig drop donated all of the proceeds back to Hillbilly Christmas in July. That means $2,000 will be donated just from the pig drop event.