Thursday Open Line


Labor Day weekend sees a lot of traditional events in all corners of the country. Starting tomorrow, the folks in Kewanee, Illinois are holding their 59th annual Hog Capital of the World Festival. By the time it’s over on Monday, the festival will attract 40,000 people to sample the world’s largest pork chop barbecue. They’ll also see Model T races, a parade, top flight entertainment — and a four-mile run known as the Hog Stampede. There are nearly 65 million hogs on U.S. farms. Raising them is a $16 billion a year business. Iowa is by far the top hog producer, followed by North Carolina, Minnesota, and Illinois. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.