Alumni revitalize hog jog

ST. JOHN — St. John alumni from the 1970’s and 1980’s are revitalizing participation in the annual St. John Hog Jog.

The 45th year of the Hog Jog will take place at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 27, in conjunction with this year’s St. John Stock Show and Community Fair Thursday, April 25 through Sunday, April 28.

The 2023 Hog Job brought in 21 participants, which alumni are reorganizing. Organizer Joanne Schmidt Hartman, Class of 1981, enlisted the help of her sisters LaConne Schmidt Grun and Arlene Schmidt, as well as Alums Janice Hargrave, Candy Bushnell Behrens, Sherry Scharffer Larson, Donna Grodon Loomis, Heidi Smith Danaher and Melissa Smith Hodgson to make the event enjoyable for walking and running enthusiasts.

Danaher said that the 5k event will be a warm up for Bloomsday, occuring the first Sunday in May the following weekend.

Pre-registration to the event is not required, and participants can register from 7:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. on April 27, at the St. John City Park.

Participation does not cost, shirts will be made available to purchase and donations are encouraged to offset expenses.

The first 10 finishers of the race will receive a small prize.

Danaher said that the length of the run is not as far as in the past years, so there will be enough time for participants to attend the Cowboy Breakfast at the fairgrounds.

A St. John Kids Country Mile fun run, for ages 12 and under, will also take place at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 26, at the St. John Golf Course.

Registration for the fun run will be from 4 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. at the golf course.

Hartman can be contacted with any questions at Jhartman1981@gmail.com