Hog Days...It's Time to Come Home Again

We went to my hometown of Kewanee, Il for the big Hog Days celebration held every year over the Labor Day weekend. The town's claim to fame is being the Hog Capitol of the World...seriously.

The highlight of the celebration is that most of our family gathers there...but the pork chops grilled in the center of town are a close second.

Mmmm good!

Don't ask me why, but my family has always parked in the funeral home parking lot several hours prior to the parade and had a pork chop picnic. Olivia pulled up her chair and chowed on a pork chop sandwich of her own. Everyone loved the pink piggie cupcakes too!

My nephew Noah's creative kettle corn bowl

And a creative use for a lawn chair while we waited and waited and waited for parade time

Gotta have a little cotton candy too!

Finally time to raise the giant flag so the parade can begin. Olivia really liked this huge flag.

The parade finally begins

There was alot of flag waving...especially by this cutie!

Loved the old fire truck

What's a parade without a Shriner or two (or twenty)

I always love the bagpipes

We're still watching and waving. Surprisingly I don't have any pics of tractors or princesses. My daughter-in-law kept count--44 tractors and 60 something princesses or queens. Sheesh!

This was how Olivia watched some of the parade. She said: "I will just cover my eyes". Then she would peak through her fingers.

This is an example of some of the things she did NOT want to see

She did however like the bulldogs dressed like pigs. Only in Kewanee :o)

Sweet baby Ella did great too! No pork chops yet, but she liked the parade (at least the part she didn't sleep through!)

One of my favorite pics of the day...this girl already knows how to take in a parade!

It was a fun family weekend...already looking forward to next year!