Buffalo Grove Days festival has a new home

Buffalo Grove Days, the village's big, five-day, end-of-summer festival, returns Thursday, Sept. 1, through Monday, Sept. 5, featuring an array of entertainment and activities at its new home in Mike Rylko Community Park, 951 McHenry Road.

Main stage entertainers will include the country cover band Mason Rivers, 7th Heaven, Soulified, American Idol finalist Haley Reinhart with the Midnight Band, Boy Band Review and the Eagles tribute band Heartache Tonight.

Or stop by the beer tent for the sounds of Andrew Blendermann, One Night Band, Steve Gypsy Band, Lacy and Whalen, Robbie Gold Band, Rocket Surgery, Todd Donnelly Steel Drums, The Wolf Gang, Industrial Drive and Mystriss.

Take a spin on the Ferris wheel, play games and win prizes. The carnival runs all five days, with unlimited ride wristbands available for $25 for select days and times. Get your wristbands for $20 by ordering them online, eventelf.com/events/448/tickets/new, at least a day in advance, plus a $2.50 per order service fee.

Ride tickets will be sold for $1.25 each (or 22 tickets for $25, or 55 for $60) during the carnival.

Gather on the lawn in front of the main stage at 3 p.m. Sunday for a free, hourlong Jedi training session for kids ages 4-10. And keep an eye out for Darth Vader, Chewbacca, a Storm Trooper and Rey, who will visit the festival grounds Saturday, Sunday and Monday afternoons.

There will also be a variety of walk-around entertainers, including stilt walkers, clowns, sports mascots, balloon artists and Disney characters.

Visit the food tent to sample local cuisine, watch the annual Buffalo Grove Days parade, try your luck at a game of bingo, shop at the arts and crafts fair, enter a duck in the Rotary Duck Race, compete in the BBQ Challenge, stop by the business fair and more.

The festival will be on the grounds of the Buffalo Grove Farmers Market and next to the Spray and Play at Mike Rylko Community Park, which is the largest park in the village.

The festival was moved from its traditional location at Lake-Cook Road and Raupp Boulevard because of safety concerns and plans, since delayed, for construction on Lake-Cook Road.

A casualty of the move was the fireworks, which were canceled because they would have been set off too close to homes or vegetation, creating a hazard.

Complete details on the festival, including a map, parking locations and shuttle routes, are at www.bgdays.com, or call (847) 459-2500 or email bgdays@vbg.org.

Here is more information on some of the festival activities:

• The kickoff event for the festival actually is 6:30 p.m. Wednesday with the traditional charity softball game.

• The Buffalo Grove Days Parade is at a new time, 11 a.m. Sunday, launching from Bernard Drive and Indian Hill Drive, running east on Bernard to Raupp Boulevard, then turning north to St. Mary's Parkway.

• The Buffalo Grove Days BBQ Challenge, a friendly competition meant for the backyard barbecuer, is on Saturday, with people competing in five categories: burgers, poultry, ribs, brisket and pulled pork. Judging is between 1:15 and 4:15 p.m. The winners will be announced about 5:15 p.m.

• The Buffalo Grove Stampede 5K/10K Race is at 7:30 a.m. Sunday. It will begin and end at the Buffalo Grove Fitness Center, 601 W. Deerfield Parkway. Parts of several roads in the area will be closed for a couple of hours during the race. Participants can register at the event. Information is at bgstampede.org.

• The Rotary Duck Race fundraiser is at a new day and time, 5 p.m. Sunday. You can buy race ducks at the event or at www.bgrotary.org/duckrace for $5. The racecourse has been enlarged and improved and there are cash prizes of $1,500, $500, $250 and 10 $100 winners.

"We are looking forward to putting a new spin on this popular fundraiser for the Buffalo Grove Rotary. We expect that the new location and day it will be held on will create more excitement and raise more money for the causes we support as an organization," said Bill Donahue, the race committee chair.

• The Arts & Crafts Fair, which was introduced nearly 30 years ago, features everything from handmade jewelry, candles and clothing for the entire family, to clocks, baby blankets and table runners. It is from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday.

• The Business Fair is open Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Monday from noon to 4 p.m.

Other events include a charity softball game at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, a bags tournament at 7 p.m. Thursday, a blood drive from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Alcott Center, a kids craft area and kids stage with special performers and events Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

• Every year, the Buffalo Grove Days Committee and the Commission for Residents with Disabilities team up to present the Food & Fun Program, allowing people with disabilities and their immediate families to enjoy the carnival and food tent from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday before they open to the public.

Preregistration is required, and attendance is limited to no more than four immediate family members or caregiver living in the same household; additional people are $10 per person. To register, email FoodAndFun@vbg.org.

• Carnival hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, with an unlimited ride option; 6 to 11 p.m. Friday; 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday, with an unlimited ride option from 1 to 6 p.m.; 1 to 11 p.m. Sunday; and 12:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, with an unlimited ride option.

• Food vendors include restaurants Brothers BBQ, Half Day Brewing Company, J.D.'s Smokehouse, Tasty Spin, Prairie House Tavern, Lou Malnati's, Nino's Pizza, Wa-Pa-Ghetti's, AO Sushi, Grande Jake's, Village Bar & Grill, Dairy Queen and Dorfler's, and not-for profit vendors include Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Na'Amat, Knights of Columbus, St. Mary Respect Life and Kingswood Church.

Thursday and Monday participation is limited. Food tent hours are 6 to 10:30 p.m. Thursday, 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 12:30 to 4 p.m. Monday.

• Prairie Krafts Brewing Company of Buffalo Grove has been selected as the exclusive beer provider. Prairie Krafts Brewing will host a beer tasting at 7 p.m. Thursday. For $10, attendees will be able to sample a variety of beers, some if which will be limited production items not on sale during the festival.

The brewer also will do guided beer tastings at 2 and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, offering samples of four beers for $5, with an explanation from staff about their different qualities. Beer tent hours are 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday, 5 to midnight Friday, and noon to midnight Saturday and Sunday.

• Other events being held in conjunction with the festival include the park district's 12th Annual Doubles Disc Golf Tournament for ages 12 and older from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Willow Stream and Twin Creeks parks, and its 32nd Annual Dog Show at 11 a.m. Saturday at Dan Schimmel Pavilion at Willow Stream Park. The latter event is free and no advance registration is needed.

More information on both events is at bgparks.org.

Main stage entertainment

FRIDAY

7 p.m. Mason Rivers

9 p.m. 7th Heaven

SATURDAY

7:30 p.m. Soulified

9 p.m. Haley Reinhart with Midnight Band

SUNDAY

7:15 p.m. Boy Band Review

9 p.m. Heartache Tonight

Beer tent entertainment

FRIDAY

6:30 p.m. Piano Bar with Andrew Blendermann

10:30 p.m. One Night Band

SATURDAY

2:30 p.m. Steve Gypsy Band

5:30 p.m. Robbie Gold Band

9 p.m. Lacy & Whalen

10:30 p.m. Rocket Surgery

SUNDAY

4 p.m. The Wolf Gang

6 p.m. Industrial Drive

7:15 p.m. Todd Donnelley Steel Drums

10:30 p.m. Mystriss