Central New York has many quirks: Dino BBQ, an inferior Ivy League school that Colgate always beats in hockey, the heaviest snow belt in America, Fuccillo’s “It’s HUGE” automobile commercials and even the world’s largest pig, Norm.The five-year-old pig resides in Hubbardsville, a ten-minute drive from campus.

Norm and his owner, Kerry Dart, recently returned from the New York State Fair in Syracuse.The mature Yorkshire pig stayed in a ten-by-ten foot glass-enclosed air-conditioned tent, Dart said.Over the fair’s twelve-day run, thousands came to see the 1,600-pound, eight-foot long pig, including Senator Chuck Schumer and comedian Jeff Foxworthy.On the August 30 episode of The Jay Leno Show, Foxworthy referred to Norm as a Volkswagen with a tail and commented that the pig’s large testicles are two of the Seven Wonders of the World.Because of Norm’s enormous weight and size, he is transported in a livestock trailer.Norm’s permanent home is a red barn complete with hay and food.Visitors can see him from many angles and can also say hello to Norm’s neighbor, Elsie the cow.

Average weights for the Yorkshire breed are 550 to 600 pounds.Norm is three times the weight of a good-sized male, Dart said.He went on to say that while there are a few 1,200 pound pigs scattered across the country, their owners have conceded that Norm is bigger.Though Norm was given the same amount of feed as other pigs, his first owner, Bob Peterson, soon realized that the pig was growing much larger than the rest.Today, Norm consumes approximately 100 pounds of feed per week.Despite of all the national and international attention generated, no one has challenged Dart’s claim to fame as owner of the world’s largest pig.

“The students really like him; they come see him by the carloads,” Dart said.So, if you find yourself yearning to venture outside Hamilton village limits, Big Norm can be visited 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. seven days a week at 7745 Hill Road Hubbardsville, NY. There is a suggested donation of two dollars for his upkeep.More information can be found at www.worldsbigpig.com.

How many college students can brag that they live in such close proximity to the world’s largest pig? About 2,800.