Schools

Pig a No-Show at Fund-Raiser Finale

Pig Smooch Rescheduled after 'Porky' Stands Up D.A.R.E. Officer

Let it never be said that Ledyard D.A.R.E. Officer Liz Smith is anything less than a good sport.

Earlier this year Smith accepted a challenge from Juliet W. Long School parent Marcy Pillsbury to kiss a pig if students at the school could collect 7,500 boxtops and other product labels, redeemable at 10 cents each.

"It's a really easy way to make money for the school," said Pillsbury, who organized a similar fund-raiser involving a snake in another school district. "Liz and I are friends," she explained.

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Some friend.

Smith, of course, took the challenge.

Find out what's happening in Ledyardwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The kids, of course, collected more than 10,000 labels. 

Thursday at noon was show time.

Only the pig didn't show.

"I can't even get a pig to kiss me!" Smith joked after word came that the pig was unavailable Thursday.

You would think in rural Ledyard, home to the region's high school Agri-Science program, it wouldn't be so difficult to produce a smoochable pig.

School board member Julia Cronin and her husband Brian are pig farmers. In fact, they were approached about supplying one of their pigs.

But the 400-pound hog they had in mind couldn't make it.  

The lucky pig chosen to do the honors Thursday was a pot-belly pig. "But somehow the signals got crossed," said school Principal Mary Porter-Price. 

And so the event has been rescheduled for Monday at noon.

Meanwhile, the excitement builds.

Smith said she had one student approach her and apologetically hand her 200 labels. "He said, 'I'm sorry Officer Liz, but I really want to see you kiss a pig.'"

Her friends at Jazzercise class have been no less supportive, providing a surplus of labels every time they meet. "Thanks a lot," she would tell them.

"Hey, it's money for the school. What do I care?" she said.


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