Whimsy for adults and children alike at South Elgin festival
If you think the world of magic, fairies and elves is the stuff of kids, think again.
The World of Faeries Festival at Vasa Park in South Elgin drew plenty of grown-up fans on Saturday, including Susan Willrett, who donned a colorful green-and-pink “Rosie the Flower Fairy” costume of her own making.
“I love dressing up, I do it as much as I can,” the DeKalb resident said. “I came for the fairy tea party today.”
Hundreds of children and adults, lots of them dressed in whimsical, magical-themed costumes, attended the seventh annual event on Saturday, which featured live music, a bubble show, sword-fighting, dozens of vendors, and even real — though trained — falcons.
Elgin residents Sandi and Kurt Unser brought folding chairs to rest comfortably in the shade while enjoying music performances.
“Normally, I also wear a dress, but not today,” Sandi Unser said. “You can be a kid as an adult, too. Plus, you can shop and see all kinds of weird stuff. It’s definitely unique.”
The Unsers’ 15-year-old daughter, Taylor, was one of the volunteer fairies — the green fairy — at the festival who engaged children in a scavenger hunt. “I definitely love fantasy,” Taylor said. “I love the whole aspect of other beings other than humans and animals, the whole thing about mystical nature.”
Organizer Gloria Yaeger of Crystal Lake said that when she and her husband Dave Yaeger started the festival, it first attracted only about 300 people. Last year, about 1,500 people came through, she said.
“This is the perfect spot, with these great old trees right next to the river,” Gloria Yaeger said.
The event also serves as the main annual gathering of members of Brotherhood of the Greenman, or about 10 people altogether in the Midwest, said Brad Berg of Eau Claire, Wis. Berg was dressed as, well, the Greenman, he explained from behind a mask of leaves and green face paint.
“The core reason for the fair is to attract the kids, and keep the ideal of fairy and mythology alive in kids,” he said. “But I also think it’s for adults, to reach something inside of them that speaks to childhood and wonder.”
Friends Darcy Trotter of Rockford and Erin Sheridan of Cary brought eight children between them to the festival. Two of the kids volunteered at the event, and all of them enjoyed themselves, their mothers said.
“Last year it seemed that there were less people than they year before,” Sheridan said. “I left thinking it was kind of dissipating. This year it’s definitely a lot bigger. It’s a good sign.”
The World of Faeries Festival continues 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Vasa Park, 35W217 Route 31, in South Elgin. For details, call (847) 695-6720 or visit vasaparkil.com.