Deano Thornton spoke to Kiwanis on Monday, March 16, 2020 and  gave a short history of how the Hog Dog Trials got started. In 1994 the Chamber of Commerce was planning something for every month in 1995 to commemorate Earl K. Long’s birthday.

Claude L. O’Bryan came up with the idea to have a Hog Dog Baying Contest. They did not have anything for the month of March so that is when it was held and has been ever since. However, due to the situation going on this year with the coronavirus the Hog Dog Trials have been postponed until October with the full backing of promoter Jake Loiacana.

Every year the trials have gotten bigger since that first year. A conflict caused one year to be missed but it was very bad for the economy. After that a board was formed that included a representative from each civic club (Thornton is the Kiwanis representative) and the Fair Board and the Winn Riding Club. The board meets once a year. Uncle Earl’s Hog Dog Trials is copyrighted so that it cannot leave the parish.

Also the Legislature proved a special waiver that allows the Hog Dog Trials to be held. All others were stopped.

There are 4 baying contests in the series and this is the Super Bowl of Hog Dogs. It might be to our advantage for the Hog Dog Trials to be held in October which is the end of the season and not the beginning.
Thornton also answered questions about tests for the coronavirus and how the clinic was handling patients. The tests for COVID-19 are tested in two labs (Lab Corp and Quest). The results are sent to Baton Rouge and then to the doctor. The clinic has been approved for telemedicine for mental health patients and the rules are being relaxed to allow telemedicine for other patients with payment.

*This article is provide and written by Kiwanis Club