ANIMALS HAM IT UP AT ANNUAL AREA FAIR.

Byline: Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writer

Eight years ago Dewayne Woods was hawking pork chops from his barbecue stand. These days, he sees swine in a whole new light.

On Saturday, Woods showed off his posse of 14 racing pigs that cruise the country in a hot-red luxury trailer entertaining thousands at events like the San Fernando Valley Fair.

``They get to be like family; they're very smart,'' said Woods, of Miami, Okla. ``I also enjoy the people at the fairs and the animals. It's our living, and it's been a good living for us.''

The squealing pigs scurrying around a miniature racetrack to snatch a dangling Oreo cookie were a popular draw at the fair, which was held at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank and drew hundreds on the third day of the four-day event.

The pig races, held throughout the day, were just one of dozens of events at the 1997 Valley Fair, which featured a rodeo, livestock auction, carnival rides and live music.

The rodeo, put on by the Flying U Rodeo Co., attracted more than a dozen animal-rights activists outside the fair but was the most anticipated event inside.

Stephen Apmadoc and his 11-year-old son Reece attended the fair Friday, but returned Saturday especially for the rodeo, which entertained spectators with steer roping, bareback riding, barrel racing and calf roping.

``I promised (my son) that we would come back just for the rodeo,'' said Apmadoc, of Tujunga. ``The smells, the sounds, the action - you just don't get a feel for the rodeo on television or a feel for what it's really like to be on a horse or a bull.''

Others, like David Skinner of Glendale, had never been to a rodeo but saw the Valley Fair as the perfect opportunity to do so.

``I think people like to see a little bit of everything,'' Skinner said. ``I think in a big city like Los Angeles there is room for everything, literally.''

His wife, Maria, remembered watching a rodeo as a child and brought their 5-year-old son to see one for the first time.

``When I was a kid I went to a rodeo at the Sports Arena, and I remember it being exciting and fun,'' she said. ``There don't seem to be as many rodeos today. It's like a thing of the past.''

For Cotton Rosser, general manager and owner of the Flying U Rodeo Co., rodeos are more alive than ever, especially in big cities like Los Angeles.

``Everybody wants to be a cowboy,'' Rosser said. ``People come to the United States and they all want to see cowboys and Indians. We're keeping the cowboy tradition alive with rodeos.''

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3 Photos

Photo: (1) Joann Hall of Burbank visits her daughter's Nubian goat Saturday at the San Fernando Valley Fair, held through today in Burbank.

(2) A pig looks from his pen, awaiting auction time at the fair.

(3) Elissa Brock, 5, of Sun Valley shows off her pig, Blackears, in the auction pen. Fairgoers today can enjoy pig races, a rodeo, a livestock auction, carnival rides and live music.