There's still time to catch some great open class hog shows and sales on Saturday, Aug. 16 at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis. Sales typically follow these open class breed shows.

This year's fair followed the traditional schedule for most livestock shows, as the fair began with 4-H shows, except for dairy. Dairy kids came in earlier this week, after 4-H beef shows concluded.

Next year may be an entirely different story, many parents fear, at least in the 4-H Swine Show. It appears it may be impacted the most by the change to an expanded fair next year. The fair has stayed at 12 days over the past several years. For the next three years, starting in -09, it becomes a 17-day fair. State fair officials insist that they will reassess the concept before announcing dates for fairs beyond 2011.

The problem in the 4-H hog show is that barrows and gilts traditionally show at the same time, allowing families to make one trip to Indianapolis to compete in one or both categories. This year, for example, hogs came in Saturday and Sunday before the fair, with all showmanship on Monday, and 4-H barrow and gilt shows running Tuesday through Thursday, culminating in final grand drives for both gilts and barrows on Thursday evening during opening week. The Sale of Champions featuring some of the barrows selected in the grand drive occurred earlier this week.

Next year, barrows will come in first, then gilts the next week. Arrival dates are roughly a week apart. In all, from bringing in barrows to concluding the gilt show, bringing pigs to both could mean being at the fair up to 11 days, except perhaps for a short break in the middle.

Fair officials claim the schedule is only tentative, but it's posted outside the swine office. Check it out tomorrow if you attend the fair. And you won't find the words, 'draft' or 'tentative' or 'proposed' anywhere on the display board.

What officials say is that the schedule isn't nailed down until early November. Mark Merkel and Swine director Roger Hale, held an information meeting about the schedule changes on Monday, Aug. 4, after showmanship classes. Merkel is president of the Indiana State Fair, and Hale is a Board member.

Parents who made comments say the schedule is fraught with problems. While officials claim it will mean more space in an overcrowded barn, which is in fact a valid point, parents counter that it will make families choose between showing barrows or gilts. Unlike sheep and to some extent cattle, where there seems to be more division between those showing just steers or wethers and those into breeding animals. It seems more common to find 4-H'ers with both sexes of hogs in the swine barn.

Officials also say spreading out the shows will keep animals in the barn for a longer time for the public to see, and will allow 4-H'ers more time to see the fair, instead of just showing. Right now, some may show and go home even before the fair begins.

What bothers parents is the expense of two trips to Indianapolis, the extra time commitment, and interference with the beginning of schools. Many rural school systems began classes earlier this week. August 13 was a popular date for starting school. If that holds next year, and there's no indication schools are considering major changes in starting times on their annual calendar, gilts wouldn't even be at the fair when school starts.

Stay tuned to see if this schedule holds, and if so, what if any effect it has upon next year's hog show a the Indiana State Fair.