ROME TOWNSHIP —Wilbur, the fabled pig in the children’s classic “Charlotte’s Web” had a phrase-spinning spider to bolster his image.

But two pigs at the Lawrence County Junior Fair Thursday relied on the skill and polish of two charismatic young men to achieve their true potential.

Luke Taylor won the senior division hog showmanship award while Markie Norris took home the showmanship trophy in the junior division.

Judge David O’Diam, of Farmersville, said overall the young people who entered the ring Thursday did a good job displaying the fundamentals of showing their hogs and their skill at handling them.

“I commend them all,” O’Diam said. “They really did a good job.”

Besides prodding their pigs around the arena, O’Diam required the senior showmen to lead their swine through the space between two folding chairs. Taylor aced the test, something O’Diam said was “no easy feat.”

“He did a nice job,” O’Diam said of Taylor. “And he continued to get better all the time he was in the ring. He drove his hog nicely.”

Of Norris, O’Diam said he “had a tremendous amount of control” over his pig.

“He had great control. He could make that pig go where he wanted it to go,” O’Diam said.

More than 50 young people participated in the showmanship event Thursday morning.

The fair continues today in Rome Township.