Painted Pigs Prepare for Red Carpet Debut

Lemont's recently painted "celebrity pigs" will get the red carpet treatment Friday night as they make their official debut to the public.

will give residents the opportunity to take pictures with all 10 of the pig statues featured in the Pigs on Parade campaign put together by . The event will take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the , 16050 W. 127th St.

Pigs on Parade, which was created to raise awareness for St. Al's/St. Pat's upcoming Havana Nights Gala, features 10 life-size, professionally-painted sculptures of pigs with themes ranging from the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Blackhawks to Jimmy Buffet and Frankenstein.

Lisa Porter, head of the creative committee and senior admissions counselor at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, introduced the idea and was able to find volunteer artists through the Academy.

The pigs will be auctioned off during the Winter Gala, which has a Havana Nights theme this year.

“We’re really very thankful to anyone that’s been involved, from the sponsors to the painters to sculptors to all the staff members who are involved in the creative committee,” Porter said. “Everybody has been so incredibly supportive of it.”

Upcoming Pig Sightings

• Saturday, March 12: All 10 pigs will hit the streets of downtown Lemont for the village's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, which kicks off at 1 p.m.
• Saturday, March 19: Pigs on Parade will culminate with the St. Alphonsus/St. Patrick's School Winter Gala at Bobak's Signature Events in Woodridge. The event runs from 6 p.m. to midnight. For tickets, contact Jen Pickering at 630-863-2252.

In the News

The Pigs on Parade have gotten quite a bit of media exposure in the past month. They made an appearance on NBC 5 on Feb. 28, as well as CBS 2 on March 9.

For more information on the gala, go to www.galainlemont.com. To learn more about the pigs and where to find them, check out a or the pigs' official site at pigsonparadeinlemont.com.