LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It's considered a State Fair first, as a group of inner-city teens compete in the Kentucky State Fair's prestigious ham curing competition.

Jaih Mack-Taylor, a freshman at St. Xavier High School, looked over table after table of cured hams. Somewhere was his entry.

At this moment, judges walked between the aisles of tables, inspecting the quality of the pork.

“They’re sticking metal rods into the ham and doing a smell test to see if it’s rotten on the inside or not,” Mack-Taylor said.

Mack-Taylor is part of a group of inner-city students thrust into the curing competition, brought together by a therapeutic mentoring program called The GAME. Participants are mostly African American and from single-family homes.

“We give them experiences they might not get on a regular

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