VALLEY FAIRGOERS IN HOG HEAVEN.

Byline: Melissa Schmidt Daily News Staff Writer

It wasn't clear Thursday just who stole the show on opening night of the 1998 Valley Fair and Rodeo: Swifty the Swimming Pig or Harley the Giant Pig.

The Valley Fair got under way with swimming pigs, roasted corn on the cob and plenty of music - ranging from Dixieland Jazz to Beatlemania.

Hundreds of faithful fairgoers packed into the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank for opening night, beating the crowds that will swarm the fair this weekend.

Ron Schultz, 50, of Burbank comes to the fair with his immediate and extended family annually. Thursday night Schultz, and his great nephew, Casey, 3, packed into a crowd to catch Swifty and the racing pigs.

Though he was only the opening act for the popular piggy races at the fair, Swifty wowed fairgoers all evening with his piggy paddle in a trough filled with water.

It seems Swifty is in training to get his name in the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest swimming pig.

Fairgoers gathered around the piggy race track to watch the tiny black pig do a dog paddle that would make any golden retriever turn green with envy.

But Swifty was just the opening act for Wilbur, Babe, Porky and Miss Piggy, who did laps on a dirt race track for the title of fastest pig. While Wilbur was the clear winner, the audience hooted and hollered for all four of the racing pigs.

Down the way, Harley the Giant Pig was engaging in more typical porcine behavior. He was sacked out in a bed of hay, bringing his owner, a Florida man, 50 cents per look.

You see Harley is no ordinary pig. Harley is eight feet long and four feet tall. And according to Steve Frabott, 44, of Brandenton, Fla., who takes Harley all over the country, Harley is still growing.

Harley, who is 5, eats 20 pounds of high protein hog food daily. It pays off, according to Frabott, who says on weekends Harley draws quite the curious crowd.

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