The 2026 edition of the Hog Festival Parade will be led by Nick and Steve Welgat.
The brothers are recently-retired Kewanee police and fire chiefs.
Nick retired in November 2023. He began at the department as a patrolman in June 2006, after his distinguished service in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
A key figure in the inception of the department’s Street Crime Unit in 2008, he also contributed as an inspector with the Black Hawk Area Task Force until 2010. He began as police chief in November 2020.
Nick played a pivotal role in the creation of DAART, a life skills education program for youth; and various community policing initiatives, bringing meaningful change to the Kewanee Police Department.
Steve retired June 1 of this year after 27 years of service, five of them as chief. Welgat said he’s the last firefighter who had worked at the old fire station, which was in a building in the 300 block of North Tremont Street, on the block that is now Berrien Park.
During Steve’s tenure as chief, the department received a number of state and federal grants for purchasing equipment. Most recently, a new fire truck was added, due in large part to a grant.
The 2026 parade will kick off Saturday, Sept. 5 at 2 p.m. with Kewanee Police Chief Steven Kijanowski hitting the siren signaling the start.
Anyone interested in being in the parade may sign up online by clicking on the Hog Day Parade tab on the Chamber website, www.kewanee-il.com. Entry deadline is Aug. 21.
