Tradition continues at 55th Algonquin Founders' Days

Algonquin Founders' Days celebrates tradition in every sense of the word.

Beginning in 1960, the festival was organized by local business owners in honor of those who founded the community. Since then, residents come together each year to enjoy live entertainment, food and family-friendly activities.

But in the 20 years that Kevin Myers has been involved, tradition lies with the group of volunteers who spend 11 months planning for each festival, he said.

"It's just tremendous how people got involved with the fest back then and still are today," said Myers, who is president of this year's festival. "It's turned into our own little family of friends running the festival."

The 55th annual Founders' Days will take place Thursday through Sunday, July 23-26, at Algonquin Lakes Park, 1401 Compton Drive, and will offer a carnival, food vendors and live music every day, along with special events, games and competitions throughout the weekend.

Hundreds of people are involved in putting together the festival's many events in some way, Myers said.

Returning to Founders' Days this year are events such as the Cardboard Boat Regatta at Riverfront Park at 4 p.m. Thursday. Teams are given supplies to build their own boats, which are then raced around buoys and back.

From 4-6 p.m. Thursday, the Carnival for Special Needs Kids, hosted by the American Legion, will offer unlimited rides to individuals with special needs and their families.

On Friday, children can also participate in the Children's Games, which are put on by Dr. Timothy Stirneman and his staff from All Smiles Dental in Algonquin. Children and their families can participate in activities including a football toss, a duck pond game, mini-golf and a bounce house with a slide.

Stirneman has been involved in Founders' Days for years, both financially and as a volunteer. Everyone on staff at his office also helps out during the festival on their own time, he said.

"We've been blessed to be able to have such great patients in this area," Stirneman said. "We try to give back as much as we can."

Other special events throughout the weekend include a bake-off, cat and dog show and bike decorating contest Friday, paddleboarding lessons Saturday, and a Founders' 1 Mile Run and 5K Walk Sunday.

Always a fan favorite is the annual parade, Myers said. This year, the parade will have a pirate theme and will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Stirneman and his staff always participate, he said, and they decorate their float to incorporate dentistry with the theme.

"We have a lot of fun with it," he said, adding that this year's float will be a surprise until the day of the parade.

Though event coordinators didn't add any new events this year, Myers said, there are plenty of options for families and individuals of all ages.

"We run a pretty full schedule to begin with," he said. "We always improve the events we have."

The lineup for live music is also different from in the past, as festival organizers don't like to run the same bands year after year, Myers said. Headliners such as Jack Russell's Great White Pirates, Too White Crew and LAVA Rock will make an appearance throughout the weekend.

"We try to mix it up a little bit and cover all demographics as best as we can," he said.

Each year, between 15,000 and 20,000 people attend the four-day festival, Myers said. But as for all outdoor festivals, he said, attendance is largely driven by weather.

Attendance has started to grow again after dropping a few years ago when the festival moved from Towne Park because of Western Algonquin Bypass construction, Myers said.

"It takes time for people to establish a connection to the new location," he said, noting that Algonquin Lakes Park isn't as visually prominent as Towne Park.

Still, he said, thousands of visitors can be found at the festival at any given time. It's not only the volunteers who make the weekend's festivities special, Myers said, but it's the residents who return year after year.

"It becomes a reunion of our own," he said.

Closing out the festival at 9 p.m. Sunday is a fireworks show, Myers' favorite aspect of Founders' Days because of the effort that residents put into fundraising for it, he said.

Residents raised $16,000 for the fireworks show, which will be located on the river. The show is always "dynamic," Myers said, but this year's will be even bigger than in the past.

"It was a wonderful collaboration between the residents and the festival itself to solidify the location of the festival deck on the river," Myers said. "We're really excited about that."

The festival is self-sustaining and does not use any tax dollars. The money raised at the festival goes into the following year's events.

"The 20 years I've been doing this, our goal has always been to maintain a family aura to our festival," he said. "That's the true spirit of what a town festival is all about."

If you go

What: 55th annual Algonquin Founders' Days

When: 4-10 p.m. Thursday, July 23; 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, July 24; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, July 25; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 26

Where: Algonquin Lakes Park, 1401 Compton Drive

Admission: $4 for adults and $2 for children Friday and Saturday; $2 for adults and $1 for kids Sunday

Details: Call (847) 658-5340, email info@algonquinfoundersdays.com or visit <a href="http://algonquinfoundersdays.com">algonquinfoundersdays.com</a>