Kiss the Pig a Huge Success!

This year's Grayslake Summer days again featured the Kiss the Pig contest, discussed below in a reprint of the Aug 17th Lake County News-Sun article by Jim Newton.  The great success of this project was completely due to the outstanding efforts of Larry Herzog, who planned and managed this project from start to finish.  Kudos to Larry for a job well done!

With the help of Jodi Miller of Lambs Farm, Father John Chrzan of St. Gilbert Catholic Church in Grayslake kisses Maybelline the pig during Grayslake Summer Days celebration on Saturday. Chrzan won the honor by drawing the most donations in Grayslake's Kiss the Pig Contest to raise money for local charities.  (Jim Newton/Sun-Times Media)

It’s a safe bet that if you wanted to see a priest kiss a pig in Lake County Saturday, there was only one place that was going to happen — Grayslake Summer Days.

And it was for a great cause, of course.

Father John Chrzan of St. Gilbert’s Catholic Church in Grayslake was the top fundraiser in a donation contest that included local clergy members as part of the Rotary Club of Grayslake’s Kiss the Pig Contest.

For this feat, he had the honor of kissing Maybelline, a 1-year-old pig from Lambs Farm near Libertyville, in front of the Summer Days crowd on Saturday afternoon.

He handled it with good humor and grace, and a little help from Lambs Farm assistant farm manager Jodi Miller, who held Maybelline. Miller said Maybelline is a pretty good sport too, as far as being kissed by humans goes.

“She pretty good with it,” Miller said.

The Kiss the Pig Contest raised more than $1,200 this year, according to Michael Marassa, Grayslake Rotary president, who said it is one of several yearly events the club holds to benefit local groups and causes such as the Oasis Youth Grayslake Youth Center, the Avon Township food pantry, and scholarships at local schools.

After the contest winner was announced, Rotary officials presented Joyce Campbell, president of the Oasis Youth Center, with a check for $2,500.

“I just want to say thank you to the Rotary Club for its ongoing support,” Campbell said. “We run purely on donations and it allows us to provide a free, stimulating, safe environment for kids.”

Other clergy members participating in the Kiss the Pig Contest included Rev. Dr. Jane Clark of St. Andrew Episcopal Church in Grayslake, Pastor Rich Valinet of Living Waters Assembly of God in Grayslake, Pastor Gary Waters of United Protestant Church of Grayslake, and Pastor Kris Firkin of Shepherd of the Lakes Lutheran Church in Grayslake.