One of Montgomery County’s most beloved park icons just got a fresh new look. Porky the Litter Eater, the talking trash pig who has been delighting (and occasionally startling) generations of parkgoers at Cabin John Regional Park, recently received a full makeover from Montgomery Parks. A video of Porky’s updates is available below.
If you’ve spent time at Cabin John over the last half-century, you’ve likely met Porky. It’s a small, house-like brick structure with a pig face on one side and a voice that encourages kids to feed him paper, cardboard, and soft drink cans. Bottles and glass, however, are off-limits. As Porky reminds visitors in his classic 1950s-style recording, “Glass gives me a tummy ache.”
Porky made his debut in 1966, one year after the introduction of Billy the Litter Eater at Wheaton Regional Park. Over time, he’s become a quirky piece of Montgomery County history, equal parts nostalgic mascot and mild urban legend. The recent restoration brightened up his brick base, cleaned his fiberglass pig face, refreshed his nameplate, and restored his familiar voice, ensuring he’ll keep greeting families for years to come.
While some have always found Porky a bit scary, “I still have nightmares of my arm getting sucked into this thing,” joked Richard Schaffer, most others remember him fondly. “I loved Porky, and I don’t think any of us were ever scared of him,” recalled longtime park visitor Amanda Lyons.
Love him or fear him, Porky has succeeded in his mission for nearly 60 years… to make litter cleanup fun. He’s a Montgomery County original, one that continues to bridge generations of park visitors who remember rushing to “feed” him after finishing their snacks.
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