Pigging out at the Solano County Fair

The gate flew open, the crowd cheered, and four Cook's Racing Pigs shot through the gate and down the track at the Solano County Fair on Friday.

It was Day Two of the fair, an event as familiar as the U.S. flag and just as much a part of the local landscape. The fair runs through Sunday with a destruction derby Saturday night and musical performances throughout the day, including La Gran Fiesta De La Feria Sunday.

"Super Friends Day" opened the festivities at the fairgrounds Friday - a fair tradition exclusively for Solano County's special needs community by invitation and registration only from 10 a.m. to noon.

Continuing the traditional offerings, there were plenty of delicious if horrifically high-calorie comestibles, as well as the hallowed homemade fudge competition, the carnival rides -and, of course, the pigs.

Decked out in racing silks of red, blue, green, and yellow, the Racing Pigs flew around the track in a trice, with audience members cheering for the color of their choice.

Yellow carried the day in this particular race; the competitions take place throughout the day. Audience members who chose yellow as their color raised a commotion in the stands.

"Congratulations! You get a blue ribbon saying, 'My pig won,' said proprietor Charlie Cook, who got the company started in 1986 with the California State Fair.

"Pigs are intelligent. It only takes three days for them to learn to run the course," Cook said. The Galt, California, resident revealed the secret: "The pigs' reward is eight ounces of vanilla soft serve ice cream mixed with Oreos."

An Oreo by any other name -this one a black pygmy goat with dabs of white on his forehead and muzzle -was hanging out with his owner, Alivia Dykstra of Vacaville, in the animal barn.

"I always wanted a goat since I was a child," Dykstra said. "Then I got into 4-H and was able to have one."

Despite the widespread myth that goats will eat anything, "They are actually picky about what they eat," she said. "Oreo likes watermelon and strawberry." (Clearly, this is a health-food-loving California goat.)

Katie Waller of Vacaville and her 13-year-old son Tucker were hanging out with their 350-pound pig Ruby, who captured the Grand Champion award on Thursday.

Tucker explained that the judges look for good bone structure when they're sizing up pigs. He trains, washes, and feeds the pigs daily.

When they're trailered to events like the fair, "each one has its own individual stall with food and water. The trailer is air-conditioned," Katie Waller said.

"Her favorite foods are licorice and animal crackers," Tucker said.

Carrying on the foodie theme, Kristi Ehrlith and Jennifer Crocker of Walnut Creek strongly endorsed the chocolate-covered frozen cheesecake, while Eric Tischer voted for funnel cake. Steven Strader of Bay Point opted for pizza.

A little further down from the pizza truck, Kristeena Lindley set up the booth for Dinosaur Kingdom. Lindley, who also owns the Rawhide Express Train that ferries fairgoers about, said she inherited the business from her best friend, who died of ALS two years ago.

"My goal is to continue making children smile by bringing dinosaurs and train rides to parties, schools, and events all over," she said.

Meanwhile, Former Mayor Bob Sampayan and his wife Ramona, who jokingly introduced herself as the "former First Chick," were strolling the exhibit hall.

"I've been coming here 40 years and haven't missed a year," the former mayor said.

"I enjoy the diversity of things to look at. The variety of sheer talent is impressive," Sampayan said.

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