Students involved in The Future Farmers of America at Perry High School will have their first big pig show following a fire that took the lives of 55 pigs that belonged to students. It is bittersweet for these students who thought they would be showing different pigs at the Georgia National Fairground for the Winter Pig Classic.
After the fire that happened in November, the school and the community raised money to get almost 70 pigs and additional equipment for the students.
Charley Lollis is a senior at Perry High School who lost her pig Dixie in the fire. She is showing two new pigs, Biscuit and Gravy, at the show.
Lollis says, "It taught us a lesson that things can go in such an instant, but there are people supporting you and what you're doing."
1,027 pigs will be shown this weekend at the Winter Pig Classic, and Lollis will show two of them. She is hoping to win an award for showmanship.
Despite the emotional rollercoaster these students have been on, agriculture teacher and FFA advisor Ashley Denton says, "I'm very proud of them. They had to overcome something that most students don't have to overcome."