33rd annual Wauconda Fest opens Thursday

Enjoy live bands, carnival rides, food and drinks, and some healthy competition at the 33rd annual Wauconda Fest, which runs Thursday, June 25, through Sunday, June 24.

The doors open Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m., Friday from 5 to midnight, Saturday from noon to midnight, and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. Most events are staged around Cook Park, 600 N. Main St. Officials will direct visitors on where to park, either in the Community Center parking lot or on the grass.

Carnival rides will open Thursday at 5 p.m. with a special deal — $1.50 per ticket and one ticket per ride.

On Thursday, from 5 to 9:30 p.m. adults can participate in wine tasting and listen to Modern Day Romeos, a rock band playing past and present hits starting at 7:30 p.m.

Bingo starts on Friday from 6 to 10 p.m. in the American Legion tent. Nearby, at 7 p.m. Kevin Purcell and the Nightburners, a Chicago blues and southern rock band, will play and at 9:30 p.m. Maggie Speaks, a high-energy rock band, will take the stage.

Saturday's activities include Bingo, tie dying, a bags tournament, a Texas Hold'em tournament, a Kan Jam tournament. Meet Maxx, Wauconda's famous police dog, and enjoy unlimited carnival rides from noon to 5 p.m. with the purchase of a $20 wristband.

The Hillbilly Rockstarz, a country music band, R- Gang, a band featuring R&B music from the Motown era through the 90s, and Friction, another rock band, will perform throughout the day.

The fest will conclude Sunday with unlimited rides between noon and 5 p.m. with the purchase of a $20 wristband, the 21st annual car show, and “Wauconda Fest Has Talent,” the second annual talent show, displaying the talent of 25 local community members.

There will also be a 5K and 10K race at 8:05 a.m., registration begins at 6:30 a.m., with proceeds going toward the lightening detection fund in Wauconda. Participants must be 14 or older. The night will end with the Beach Bum Band, a reggae band and Green Thirteen, a new-music band, ending at 9 p.m.

Upon entering the fest participants must buy a $2 entry button for all four days. Whoever gets a button that is missing a word on it may enter their button in a $200 raffle that will be drawn each night.

Food and drinks will be available by vendors set up in tents around the perimeter throughout the entire festival.

Scheduled times and more information for these events can be seen on the park district's website at www.waucondaparks.org.