© Jerimiah B. Brown

Missing pigs

Perilous art at County Farm Park

by David Erik Nelson

posted 1/27/2009

Three bronze pigs have gone missing from the playground at County Farm Park. According to Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation deputy director Tom Freeman, the metallic mother and her three piglets that once clustered near the water trough were very popular with visitors, including children who delighted in playing on the sculptures. Unfortunately, these little piggies were not

designed with climbing and jumping in mind, and several injuries resulted—including what Freeman describes as “a significant puncture wound.”

Efforts to decrease the pigs’ threat level proved unsuccessful. “We tried to make a modification to the pigs by grinding down some surfaces,” Freeman explains, “but it didn’t work.” Ultimately, only one was deemed safe enough to remain on the playground. But while the rest are gone, they’re not forgotten: Freeman reports that he and his staff are looking for a safe way to reincorporate the pigs into the park’s landscape.   

[Originally published in January, 2009.]