After whittling down selections to the top three, the Hog Days Committee has chosen this year’s tagline for the Kewanee Hog Days Festival 2026.
Kaye Finney, committee co-chair, said they received quite a few great suggestions this year but after running them past the committee, it was agreed that the winner is “We Will, We Will, Chop You!”
The tagline is taken from a 1977 number one hit, We Will Rock You, by the band Queen and Finney said the general consensus from the committee is that people, especially those parade participants “will be able to have a lot of fun with it.”
It’s only February, but already planning for the event is well underway, although Finney admits that things may not be getting done on the timeline of past festivals, it’s coming along.
“We’re pretty well set,” she said.
A new addition to the committee is Steve Lemanski, who is assisting in several areas including entertainment. Together, Finney and Lemanski have worked to secure the three main acts that will perform on the main stage Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“Tents have been ordered and the sound equipment and stage is set,” she said.
The loss of co-chairs Mike Komnick and Larry Flannery who announced last year that they were stepping down from the committee, has caused some committee realignments, with Finney stepping up to help chair the event. Janie Metscaviz, who was acting as secretary has had to take on the role of treasurer as well. But Finney said that’s only made the other committee members more dedicated.
“Everyone’s been so cooperative and offering to help everyone else,” Finney said.
This year’s Hog Days Festival comes later than unusual and is set for Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4-7.
