SOLON — This year’s 2025 Beef Days Grand Marshal is Kevin Hotz. Kevin was born and raised in rural Lone Tree, the son of Marvin and Caroline Hotz, and attended Lone Tree High School. He was involved in football and FFA and was also active in Johnson Co. 4-H with an emphasis in the swine projects. Kevin belonged to the Lone Tree football chain gang for 35 years and even got a broken leg while doing it.

Kevin is no stranger to long standing service and holds an impressive resume that includes 12 years on the Johnson County Fair Board, 35 years on the Fair Swine Committee, and 25 years on the Johnson County Pork Council. For many years Kevin helped teach gun safety classes with his dad and also worked at Sharpless Auctions.

Everyone knows that volunteer work behind the scenes is the secret to success and volunteering was Kevin’s specialty. Kevin worked behind the softball scoreboard in Lone Tree for ten years, he helped work at Beef Quarters at the State Fair for 15 years, called numbers at the fair’s BINGO, and helped with the woodcarving auction. He was also there to help when the Pork Producers and Cattlemen hosted the Tractorcades and volunteered with the REC’s Annual dinner meetings.

Kevin and his family are well-known for supplying local Hy-Vee stores with their famous home-grown sweet corn while his love for life is farming. His connection to Solon Beef Days began some 37 years ago as the liaison between the event committee and the Johnson County Pork Council who came each year to cook the burgers during Beef Days.

Over those many years, Kevin was active on the Beef Days Committee and, in his true nature, found many ways to volunteer his time including Thursday night set up, calling BINGO, serving on car raffle committee, and driving the raffle car in area parades including Coralville, Oxford, Ely and Hills along with friend Norm Ziskovsky.

To a long time Beef Days Committee Member and volunteer, a special thank you to our friend Kevin Hotz for all of his service to Solon Beef Days.