The market hog show drew in large crowds to the Lawrence County Fair Tuesday night as 10 classes of hogs were judged.

Sammy Meyers took home the title of grand champion but winning isn’t always everything.

“It’s more than just showing pigs, it’s an experience,” said Kevin Apt, the swine judge. “It’s about what you learned not necessarily what you won.”

This held true for 10-year-old Molly Saunders who was given the loudest applause upon winning first place in her class. Taking fourth overall, Saunders was overwhelmingly pleased at her success.

“I did much better than last year,” she said. “I had a lot of fun.”

According to her father, Josh Saunders, Molly worked hard this past year to take care of her pig. This included feeding it, walking it, washing it, and giving it marshmallows.

“She worked very very hard on her pigs this year,” he said. “This is one of the proudest moments of my life with her.”

According to her father, Molly had a lot tougher time in last year’s competition. She took what she learned as well as some more advice from her father to improve this year. The most surprising part, however, is the ease in which she controlled her pig which, coming in at about 278 lbs, weighed over four times as much as Molly.

“They step on your feet and they knock you down sometimes,” Molly said, referring to the challenges in raising pigs. “They don’t like getting on the scales and they don’t sit still.”

Molly and her father both think that she will return next year. They hope to return next year with a first place overall.

“That’s the dream overall,” Josh said.