New Long Grove fest mixes strawberries, carnival, tunes

True to form, historic downtown Long Grove is bringing back its annual homage to strawberries, however, now with a wider mix of summertime thrills.

Debuting Friday, June 24, through Sunday, June 26, is Long Grove Summer Fest, a revamped version of the popular Long Grove Strawberry Fest.

The new festival features a broader array of summer fruits and food, bands, vendors and family activities than its predecessor. And the event will include a carnival, the first to come to historic downtown Long Grove.

"Although everybody loves them, we didn't want this fest to be known exclusively for strawberries," said Ryan Messner, president of Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association. "Instead, we want to pay tribute to all the best things that summer in Long Grove has to offer."

In looking to achieve that goal at the inaugural Summer Fest 2016, June 24-26, the association has again partnered with Ravenswood Special Events, producers of some of the area's biggest festivals, including Long Grove Chocolate Fest, which shattered attendance records this past May.

The first area of attraction that stands out is the live music. With three stages of nonstop, high-quality tunes, there won't ever be a dull moment. Headliners include '90s hip-hop cover band Too White Crew on Friday, '80s tour de force Sixteen Candles on Saturday, and jam band Mr. Blotto, who'll bring their unique blend of rock, folk and country on Sunday. A complete list of entertainment acts is at visitlonggrove.com.

Summer Fest eats will include an assortment of "summer barbecue" and "fruits of the summer" delights from several popular local vendors, including Village Pizza & BBQ, Long Grove Confectionery, Main Street Grill, Luke's of Mundelein, Smokin T's, Prairie House, Zacarellis, Brothers BBQ and many more. Unique food and beverage items in the past have included: prime rib sandwiches with strawberry salsa from the Village Tavern, strawberry beer, strawberry wine from Broken Earth Winery and chocolate strawberry popcorn from the Long Grove Popcorn Shoppe.

For the kids, Summer Fest organizers are planning thrilling activities all weekend long at the Kid's Zone sponsored by Primrose School, including: Medieval Times Jr. Knight Training, In Motion Dance performances, water balloon toss, bag sets, spin-art coloring, face painting, the bubbler, flower crown arts and craft, and do-it-yourself gardening for little green thumbs. There will also be live karaoke on the Fountain Square Stage on Sunday and the exhilarating strawberry pie-eating competitions on Saturday and Sunday for both kids and adults.

To cap it off, a full carnival - with all the classic carnival rides from Fantasy Amusements - will be held in a section of the Archer parking lot. Carnival ride tickets will be available for purchase on-site.