GUILDERLAND — Except for the racing and diving pigs of the Altamont Fair, swine have become a rarity in the growing suburb of Guilderland. This summer, they’re making a comeback.

In late June, the Guilderland Chamber of Commerce will kick off Pigtacular!. Life-size fiberglass pigs, decorated by area artists, will appear at businesses throughout town.
"We’re looking to get at least 25 pigs in the Guilderland area," said Jane Schramm, the chamber’s executive director.

The idea was hatched, Schramm said, at the chamber’s fall retreat.
"My board and my staff, we really wanted to do some sort of community-wide event," Schramm said. "There is nothing on a grand scale that Guilderland can call its own."

Now, she said, Guilderland can call the pigs its own.

Decorated animals adorning city streets and town businesses is not a new concept. Chicago has its cows; Buffalo has its buffalo. Saratoga has its horses. Pigtacular! is modeled on similar events in Cincinnati and Seattle, Schramm said, and a moose display in Bennington, Vt.

Why pigs in Guilderland"
"The thing of it is, that this area, once upon a time, was extremely agricultural. It’s not so much anymore," Schramm said. "There were a lot of different animals, one of them being a pig."

The minutes of the first town meeting in Guilderland, held at the Appel Inn, document that roaming swine were a problem in town two centuries ago.
For Pigtacular!, at a starting price of $500, the chamber is asking local businesses to sponsor pigs and display them outside their locations. For businesses that don’t have a physical location in Guilderland, Schramm said, the chamber and Crossgates Mall are working together to create a "pig pen" in the mall.

Businesses can then decorate the pigs themselves, or use a local artist provided by the chamber.
"Right now, we have a call to artists," Schramm said. "Artists get to be extremely creative."
Businesses won’t be allowed to advertise on their pigs, but, Schramm said, "It could be something that is very creatively showing something about their type of business."

For example, she said, Singer’s Jewelers is planning a pig dressed up for a formal evening out, complete with jewelry.

The event will begin officially on June 29, with a Pignic in the Park in Altamont. It ends in the fall with Hogtoberfest, when the pigs will be auctioned off. The proceeds will go to the charity of the pig sponsor’s choice.

Also at Hogtoberfest, people will vote on their favorite pigs. The top three selected will win $500 for their artists.
In between the Pignic and Hogtoberfest, interested residents and visitors can travel the town, using maps from the chamber, Schramm said, and "stop and smell the roses and stop and look at the pigs."

Though the pigs will all be decorated differently, they’ll have one thing in common, Schramm said.
"They all have a smile on their face," she said.