Bear Creek Saloon and Steakhouse facts for kids
 |
|
| Headquarters | , |
|---|---|
| Services | Saloon and Steakhouse |
| Owner | DeArmond Family |
The Bear Creek Saloon and Steakhouse is a special restaurant in the small town of Bear Creek, Montana. It's owned by the DeArmond family, Bobby "Pits" and Lynn, who bought it in 1982. This unique place is famous for its exciting pig races! They hold these races all year long to help raise money for good causes. Big pigs race in the summer, and cute little piglets race in the winter. These races are carefully watched by health and agriculture experts to make sure the pigs are healthy and safe.
The Saloon is about seven miles from Red Lodge, Montana. Bobby "Pits" DeArmond, one of the owners, grew up in Spearman, Texas, before moving to Montana in the late 1970s.
Contents
History of Bear Creek Saloon
The DeArmond family bought the Bear Creek Saloon and Steakhouse in 1982. Back then, it was just a bar. In 1984, they added a kitchen and started serving Mexican food. Many of their customers were tourists visiting the area.
However, in 1988, big fires happened in Yellowstone. This meant fewer tourists came to the area, and business at the Saloon slowed down a lot. To attract more people, the DeArmond family came up with a fun idea: pig races! They started these races in 1992. In 1994, the menu changed to classic saloon and steakhouse food, which it still is today. Bobby "Pits" even appeared on the TV show Good Morning America a few times because of the pig races!
Exciting Pig Races
The pig races are the biggest attraction at the Bear Creek Saloon. Imagine a small oval racetrack, like a mini stadium, with a golden pig statue in the middle. The races begin with the famous "Call to the Post" song playing, just like at horse races. The pigs start from a gate and race around the track towards a trough full of yummy vegetables.
There are 12 races every night, happening every 15 minutes. Each race has five pigs competing.
Meet the Racing Pigs
The pigs that race are provided by a local 4-H club. Every racing season, people can sponsor a pig. When you sponsor a pig, you get to name it and even have a special jersey made for it! Some funny pig names from the past include "Pumpkin Butt," "Raquel Belch," and "Notta Hot Dog."
After the racing season ends, the pigs are used for meat. Sponsors can choose to donate the meat to charity or keep it for themselves. Sponsors can also buy billboard space around the racetrack, which adds to the "stadium" feel. Big businesses like the Riverboat Casino in Billings, Montana and U.S. Bank in Red Lodge have been sponsors. The Carbon County Health Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture make sure the pigs are healthy and well cared for.
Indoor Winter Pig Races
In December 2003, the DeArmond family had another great idea: indoor pig races for the winter! They built a special racetrack on the stage inside the Saloon. For these races, they use piglets that are 5 to 6 weeks old. These piglets race until they are about 10 to 12 weeks old.
Betting to Raise Money
The pig races at the Saloon are not just for fun; they are also fundraisers! For each race, there's a betting card with 25 spots. For the first eleven races, a spot costs $2. For the final race, a spot costs $5. This means a full card for the first eleven races costs $50, and for the final race, it costs $125.
Bobby "Pits" DeArmond, the "Racemaster," starts each race by asking for a volunteer. This person rolls two special dice. One die has letters (A-E), and the other has numbers (1-5). The dice roll tells everyone which spots on the betting card are assigned to each pig. After all five pigs have their spots, the race begins!
The person who picked the winning pig gets a prize: $25 for the first eleven races and $100 for the final race. The rest of the money, $25 from each race, is donated to local scholarships for students in Carbon County. So far, over $107,000 has been raised for these scholarships!
Legal Challenge for Pig Races
The DeArmond family held pig races for four years before they faced a challenge in 1992. The Montana Board of Horse Racing tried to stop the races. They thought the pig races might be causing less money to go to the state from other gambling activities. The Board believed they had the right to control pig races because of an old law that covered racing of all animals.
When the pig racing stopped, the Saloon's business dropped by 60 percent. But the DeArmond family, with help from a State Representative, found a way around the rules. They discovered a loophole in the law that allowed "sports pools." This led to the current fundraising system using betting cards. The DeArmond family eventually won their fight and have been hosting pig races ever since!
