Savannah Wheeler, 7, greets Bacon Bit before giving her a smooch in the Delaware State Fair’s 33rd annual 4-H Pig Kissin’ Contest July 30. ELLEN MCINTYRE PHOTOS
Addison Freebery, a junior at Cape Henlopen High School and the vice president of Cape’s FFA program, smiles with her sheep, Brie.
Gov. Matt Meyer kisses a pocket-sized, 3-week-old piglet named Bacon Bit at the Delaware State Fair’s 33rd annual 4-H Pig Kissin’ Contest July 30. Holding the pig is Smyrna Police Department Cpl. MaryBeth Barlow. The event raises money for the Delaware State Fair Junior Exhibitor Scholarship, which supports youth exhibitors who have achieved recognition in junior programs like 4-H and FFA. 
There is no shortage of delicious food and family-friendly entertainment at the fair.
Lt. Gov. Kyle Evans Gay, middle, stands with (l-r) 2026 Miss Delaware Anaya Harrison, Mar-Del Watermelon Queen Avery Kerrick, Miss Delaware Dairy Princess Madelyn Gallo and Miss Delaware’s Teen Erin Mayo. 
Addison Freebery, a junior at Cape Henlopen High School and the vice president of Cape’s FFA program, kisses her sheep, Brie.
Rylee Ridgely of the Kent County 4-H Livestock Committee applies some lipgloss before smooching Bacon Bit the piglet.
Rylee Ridgely of the Kent County 4-H Livestock Committee puckers up to kiss Bacon Bit, who is held by Smyrna Police Department Cpl. MaryBeth Barlow.
This elaborate sandcastle took Andy West and Darrell O’Connor about 10 to 12 hours to build and sculpt. It reads, “Governor’s Day,” which took place July 30 at the Delaware State Fair. 
Andy West, left, and Darrell O’Connor spent many hours building and sculpting a large sandcastle display at the Delaware State Fair. West, a Harrington resident, known as The Delaware Sandman, has been a competitive sand sculptor for nearly 20 years. O’Connor has been a semi-pro sand sculptor since the mid-1980s, having traveled across the nation to compete and also sculpting sandcastles for weddings, festivals and other special events. 
Jackson Evans, a rising sixth-grader from Milford, hugs Penelope the goat.
Audrey Bonk, left, and Lindsay Gross of Cape Henlopen High School’s FFA program smile with Desire, a Nigerian dwarf goat.
Tilly White gets ready to show a goat.
A crowd fills the Hertrich Plaza at the Delaware State Fair July 30 for the 33rd annual Delaware 4-H Pig Kissin’ Contest.
Pig Kissin’ Contest competitors participate in a challenge called “Eat Like a Pig,” where they stand in pairs, one in front of the other, both squeezed into one large T-shirt with the back partner’s arms pulled through the sleeves, where the back partner serves as the front partner’s arms and feeds them various foods.
Smyrna Police Department Cpl. MaryBeth Barlow holds 3-year-old piglet, Bacon Bit, ahead of the Pig Kissin’ Contest as the contestants look on. 
Savannah Wheeler, 7, gives Bacon Bit a smooch.
Disc-Connected K9s founder and trainer Lawrence Frederick watches as one of his performing rescue dogs, Moaning Myrtle, jumps over him to catch a Frisbee in her mouth during a performance at the state fair. Disc-Connected K9s is a traveling canine frisbee entertainment act that rescues, trains and showcases shelter dogs. Frederick has trained and competed in Frisbee disc events for more than 50 years, the last 34 of which were spent working with canines specifically.
Moaning Myrtle, a performing rescue dog on the famous Disc-Connected K9s team, catches a Frisbee during a performance at the fair. She is named after a character from “Harry Potter.” 
This young dairy calf was up for grabs through the Delaware State Fair calf raffle, a tradition hosted by the Delaware Holstein Association to support youth agricultural programs. Fairgoers could purchase $1 raffle tickets to win the calf, with a cash alternative prize available if the winner is unable to take the calf home.
This ferris wheel is one of the many rides at the fair.
The Wades Show Carnival at the Delaware State Fair features a sign dubbing it the “Greatest Carnival on the Planet.”
Mike Johns, better known as “Mighty Mike,” a comedy strongman entertainer from Toronto, juggles three bowling balls during a show at the fair. Mike holds numerous Guinness World Records and is a fourth-generation strongman.
Delaware FFA Association members stand with their dairy goats as the animals are judged for the title of “best utter in show” at the state fair.
Dining and Cooking