09/21/2026
Kevin Bacon, Michael Jordan headline Eaton Pork Festival races
By Jacob Merideth
EATON, Ohio — Kevin Bacon and Michael Jordan came to Preble County Sunday.
They didn’t arrive together. They weren’t signing autographs. They weren’t filming a movie or playing basketball.
But they were both at the Preble County Fairgrounds, and both had a race to win.
Oh, you thought I meant the actual Kevin Bacon and Michael Jordan?
Sorry.
This Kevin Bacon was a pig.
Michael Jordan was a goat.
And somehow, that made perfect sense at the Eaton Pork Festival.
At 3 p.m., I just so happened to come across the pig and goat races, where the competitors were motivated by Little Debbie snack cakes, apples, bread and maybe a little help from the crowd.
Each race featured a kid chosen from the crowd to serve as the pig or goat’s “rooter,” cheering on their assigned competitor.
It was a simple concept. Get to the finish line, get the snacks and try not to get distracted along the way.
According to the announcer, pigs are the fifth smartest animal in the animal kingdom.
After watching the races, I’m not sure all four pigs got the memo.
The first heat featured Kevin Bacon, Ham Solo, Sue-Bacca and Luke Swine-Walker.
Kevin Bacon, however, looked like he had done this before.
Before the race, Bacon showed off some tricks in exchange for a pre-race piece of bread. As a fan of the actual Kevin Bacon and his movie work, I was already pulling for the pig with the Hollywood name.
I picked Kevin Bacon to win.
And he delivered.
Kevin Bacon won the first pig heat, earning the first victory of the afternoon and, with the win, the coveted Little Debbie pumpkin-shaped cake.
Then came the goats.
The announcer and handlers warned the crowd that goats were the mischievous ones.
They didn’t need much convincing.
As soon as the goats were let into the race arena, they made a beeline for the snacks.
Forget the race.
They knew what they came for.
The pygmy goat race featured Tom Brady, Messi and Michael Jordan, each named after a GOAT from the sports world.
As a LeBron guy, I was a little biased against the name selection.
But Michael Jordan didn’t seem to care.
Michael Jordan won the goat race, living up to his namesake and immediately putting himself in the GOAT conversation.
Then came the final race: the fastest pig.
Kevin Bacon was the crowd favorite after his first heat victory.
Michael Jordan was the goat who had already proven he knew how to win.
The two went head to head.
And Michael Jordan did it again.
Michael Jordan won the final race, completing a two-peat.
Kevin Bacon seemed to keep pace, but Jordan once again found his way to the finish line first.
Bacon didn’t get the second win, but he looked like he was having a pretty good time. And after winning his first heat, he had already done enough to win over the crowd.
So, for a few minutes Sunday afternoon at the Preble County Fairgrounds, I found myself watching a pig named Kevin Bacon race a goat named Michael Jordan.
I’ve covered a lot of sports.
I can now add pig and goat racing to the list.
And if nothing else, I learned one important lesson:
Never bet against the GOAT.
