PIG PARDON: Sow Escapes Bacon Fest Fate

Gov. Terry Branstad usually pardons a couple turkeys for Thanksgiving, but Friday he’ll be pardoning the other white meat at Terrace Hill.

Branstad will spare Bonnie, a 100% pure heirloom Berkshire sow from Eden Farms, from becoming bacon for the 6th Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival.

“Bonnie is a good little pig, and we’ll be happy to care for her as she feasts on grains and lives a long and fruitful life on the farm,” says Nick Jones of Eden Farms.

The popular festival gets underway Saturday at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

If you don’t have tickets already you’ll miss out on the delicious bacon. All 8,000 tickets to the event were snapped up in December, just minutes after they went on sale.