Hog Days presale carnival tickets will go out on Monday, July 8, according to Larry Flannery, co-chair of the Hog Days Festival Committee.
As in years past, the prices will remain the same at $10 for a sheet of 12. The tickets can be purchased at the local banks of Peoples National Bank, Union Federal Savings and Loan, CSB north and south branch, and the State Bank of Toulon.
Tickets are also available for purchase at the Kewanee Chamber of Commerce, located at 113 E. Second Street. The office is open Monday through Friday in the morning hours.
Once the Hog Days Festival begins, carnival ticket prices will increase to $1 a ticket for a sheet of 20. Individual tickets can be purchased for $1.25 each.
Flannery said planning for the festival is underway and on track, with plenty of good news for attendees. The prices of festival favorites such as pork chop and pork patty sandwiches will remain the same, he said, and those prices will be carved into stone at the July committee meeting.
“It’s been at least since 2019 that we’ve had those prices and we’re able to hold that during these inflationary times we live in,” said Flannery.
The price of a pork patty sandwich will be just $3 and the price of a barbeque pork chop sandwich is still $5.
In the way of entertainment, Flannery said his co-chair, Mike Komnick, has it all handled and is bringing in some exciting new bands that have already caused a buzz.
One of the bands performing will be the Stone Cold Cowboys, billed as a traditional country western band. “Their repertoire includes classic hits from artists like George Strait, Alan Jackson, Johnny Cash, and Garth Brooks, as well as contemporary favorites from Brooks & Dunn, Shania Twain, Luke Bryan, and Miranda Lambert,” according to the band’s website. The Stone Cold Cowboys will take the stage at 7 p.m. on Friday night.
Also making an appearance at the festival this year on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. will be Decade of Decadence, an ‘80s band from Peoria that many festival goers are excited to see.
The bands will take to the main stage and this year, that stage will have a name. Flannery said a company, RWE Clean Energy, reached out to the committee inquiring about a potential festival sponsorship. Flannery said that they were provided a choice of having the pork chop drive-thru or the main stage named in their honor. The company, Flannery said, chose the stage. A banner will be made to go across the front of the stage proclaiming it RWE Clean Energy Stage.
In addition to performing on the RWE Clean Energy Stage, performers and entertainers will be located at different places throughout the festival, continuing the practice that started several years ago. Attendees will be able to catch bands, performers and acts at several downtown locations, the pork chop tent and at West Park during the flea market. The complete line up of entertainment can be found here.
Flannery said the committee is still looking for flea market vendors. The park holds about 150 vendors, he said, but booking about 100 a year is the average.
Anyone who would like to set up a booth at West Park during the festival can go to the Hog Days website and download the form online or contact Janie Metscaviz (309) 883-4183.
At least one change is being made to the festival, Flannery said. The pork chop drive-thru, which normally stays open until 9 p.m. will close an hour earlier this year at 8 p.m. Flannery said that street illumination in the drive-thru area isn’t ideal and dusk comes earlier that time of year. The exception will be Monday when the drive-thru hours will be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This year’s Hog Day’s theme is “That’s the Way I Like It.” The Hog Days Festival will take place over Labor Day weekend from Aug. 30- Sept. 2.
*** This copy has been edited to correct the time for the performance by Decade of Decadence.
