Pig racing with a few twists at the Cape Fear Fair and Expo

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY)– An attraction at the Cape Fear Fair and Expo that started on a whim has turned into a big hit.

Cindy McNally and her husband started racing pigs at the fair five years ago, but it wasn’t something they could call an expertise.

“I’d never even heard of it,” Cindy said. “The guy that was out there doing it did a great job. He made people laugh and I love to make people laugh.”

At the time, Cindy had livestock at the fair. When the fair needed someone to hold the pig races the following year, she stepped up.

“I told the fair board I have pigs,” Cindy said. “I can do this.”

She says her derby isn’t like most.

“We do the ducks and the goats too,” Cindy said.

She says it’s one of her favorite parts.

“I love surprising people,” Cindy said. “I love it.”

Surprised was an understatement for viewers like Marilyn Waldon.

“I wasn’t expecting to come up here and watch animals race like Nascar,” Waldon said.

There is a finale that Cindy says always steals the show.

“At the very end I bring out a very tiny baby pig,” Cindy said.

It was an idea that started on a whim and turned into a lifestyle.

“My husband an I are kind of doing this as retirement and it’s like we’re on our honeymoon,” Cindy said. “We get to spend time together all day everyday at a fair. What’s more fun that that?”

The fair continues this weekend at the Wilmington International Airport, but Old McNally’s Pig Derby can be found at fairs all over the state and even other states.