Thanks to the recent presidential political campaigning, the phrase about pigs with lipstick became all too overly publicized. However, not too many years ago here in Albert Lea we had an annual event which involved real hogs on ice. And here’s a recap of what I featured about this local phenomenon.

For about 13 or 14 years the Minnesota State Spring Barrow Show and the city’s ice skating enthusiasts managed to use the same facilities in what can be described as a spirit of cooperation which also involved some real ingenuity.

Up to the early 1960s, the city’s ice skaters used outdoor rinks, with the most popular ones being located on Fuller’s Bay in Fountain Lake and in Morin Park.

One of the groups contending with wintertime weather conditions and sometimes rough ice was the Albert Lea Rangers hockey team. This team of adult amateur players was part of the Southern Minnesota Hockey League. This non-professional league started in the 1920s and was reportedly the first of its type in the nation.

Also contending with the variety of winter weather conditions on the outdoor rinks were figure skaters and those who relied on this form of seasonal recreation.

Then, around 1962 or 1963, the hockey team leadership made an arrangement with the Freeborn County Agricultural Society (the fair board) to convert the Arena building at the fairgrounds into an indoor ice skating rink.

For several years all that had to be done was flood the dirt floor of the Arena with water, open the doors, and let the outdoor weather create the needed ice covering.

Thus, the hockey team, the Albert Lea Figure Skating Club, and recreational ice skaters of all ages finally had a somewhat sheltered and still chilly place to use despite the outdoor weather conditions.

In 1965, the hockey players and other local ice skating enthusiasts raised funds to purchase the pipes and previously used refrigeration equipment needed to make artificial ice.

As a direct result, a hockey team from Albert Lea High School was formed to add to the number of people using the fairgrounds facilities during the winter months.

However, during the first week of February for those 13 or 14 years there was always a potential conflict. How could the Minnesota State Spring Barrow Show use the very same fairgrounds Arena building for their activities?

It was obvious that the ice skaters and hockey players and the barrow show couldn’t use the Arena at the same time. Also, the wintertime weather conditions wouldn’t allow for the thawing of the ice covering already in place on the floor.

The flooring problem was solved in several ways. One way was to place sheets of plywood over the ice. These sheets could then be covered with sawdust. Another way was featured in the Tribune in early 1975 when the Albert Lea Hockey Association asked area residents to donate old carpeting which could then be used to cover the ice during the barrow show time.

As a result, those attending the barrow show soon learned to wear warm clothing and have extra foot protection After all, the barrow show was sometimes held during the coldest time of the year in a cold building with an even colder floor because of the ice underneath.

The recreational ice skaters, plus the figure skaters and the ice hockey players, had to adjust their schedules during the week or so when the barrow show was in operation. This sometimes involved getting ice time somewhere else.

After the barrow show was over for another year, the covering was removed and ice skating resumed, especially for the high school team as it completed its season.

Finally, about 1976, the Arena building use reverted back to the barrow show and the ice covering on the floor was no longer an interesting challenge. The city’s ice skaters had shifted their activities to the City Arena.

The city took over the former Lea College Fieldhouse west of Albert Lea in 1974. An addition was made to the west side of the building to provide for a larger ice skating area, and new piping and refrigeration units were installed.

As a result, the ice skaters and hockey players now have a rink which can be used without an interruption during the first week of February for a barrow show.

By the way, the Albert Lea Figure Skating Club will have their excellent annual show at the City Arena on March 7 and 8. This is an event worth attending.

Ed Shannon’s column has been appearing in the Tribune every Friday since December 1984.