Popular events combine for Barrington expo

The Barrington High School gymnasium will be full Saturday with about 100 exhibitors, including restaurants, businesses and school district programs, for the inaugural Barrington BizEd Community Expo.

The event, scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is the largest collaboration between the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce and Barrington Area Unit School District 220, according to organizers. It is a combination of the chamber's local business expo and the district's Science Technology Engineering Mathematics, or STEM, fair.

Jeff Arnett, district spokesman, said both sides view combining the events as a win/win.

“It provides a lot of fun attractions and interesting exhibits for families to enjoy on a weekend,” Arnett said.

Arnett said combining the two events means more people are going to have a chance of finding something at the expo that interests them.

There will be no shortage of variety. Every available booth space has been sold to area businesses, community partners, civic organizations and nonprofits.

There also will be a food court made up of local restaurants serving hungry expo goers throughout the day.

On the education side, Arnett said the event is a chance to showcase the district's initiatives, such as the Business Incubator entrepreneur program.

The Barrington High School Robotics club will be exhibiting their moving metal creations. If that wasn't enough robotics, representatives from Chasewood Learning, an after school STEM-based learning provider, will be displaying their own robotics made up of Legos.

According to the expo's website, hundreds of visitors are expected Saturday. Parking and admission to the event are free.