Fairs & festivals: Riverfest Express, Oktoberfest, Elburn Days and more

Posted August 16, 2017 6:00 am

German dancing is part of the Oktoberfest in August festival this weekend in Buffalo Grove.

This weekend

Grayslake Summer Days: 5 p.m. to midnight Friday, Aug. 18, and 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday, Aug. 19, at Whitney and Center streets, Grayslake. Music, food, carnival, vendor booths and more. Saturday events: Bike and pet parade at noon, go kart races at 1 p.m., bags tournament at 1 p.m. The parade steps off at 6:30 p.m. Saturday from Grayslake Central High School. Free. (847) 223-6888 or grayslakechamber.com.

Odd Fellows Rock the Fox Music Fest: 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18; 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19; and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, at Carpenter Park, off Maple Avenue, Carpentersville. Hosted by Odd Fellows of Century Lodge 492, the annual event features music, a carnival, food vendors, product vendors, a beer garden and more. Free. centurylodge492il.org.

Elburn Days: 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18; 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19; and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, at Elburn Lions Park, 500 S. Filmore St., Elburn. Music from Rebel Soul Revival at 5:30 p.m. and Back Country Roads at 8 p.m. Friday, Hillbilly Rockstarz at 6 p.m. and Josh Thompson at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, and Kashmir at 3:30 p.m. and Hi Infidelity at 6 p.m. Sunday. Parade at 6 p.m. Friday, craft show, mud volleyball, carnival, food, tractor pulls, bingo, entertainment and more. Free. (630) 365-6315 or elburnlions.com.

Meadows Cruise Night: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18, at Meadows Christian Fellowship, 2401 Kirchoff Road, Rolling Meadows. Weekly classic car show with music, food and more. This week's theme is “Trucks & 4x4s.” Free. meadowsfamily.org.

Riverfest Express: 5 p.m. to midnight Friday, Aug. 18; noon to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19; and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, at Panton Mill Park, 10 N. Water St., South Elgin. Music includes Hillbilly Rockstarz at 9 p.m. Friday, The Moods at 6 p.m. and 97Nine Band at 9 p.m. Saturday, and The Plant Band at 3 p.m. and Smokin Gunz at 6 p.m. Sunday. Carnival, trolley rides, entertainment, fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Saturday and more. Craft show and small business expo Saturday and Sunday. Car show starting at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Free. southelgin.com.

McHenry Rotary Blues, Brews and BBQ Fest: 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18; 3 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19; and 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, at Petersen Park, Petersen Park Road, McHenry. Blues festival featuring Rosehill Revival at 7:45 p.m. Friday, The BluesNiks at 6:30 p.m. and Mississippi Heat at 9 p.m. Saturday, and Johnny Iguana & the Claudettes at 2:30 p.m. and Alabaster at 5 p.m. Sunday. Food, a barbecue cook-off and more. $10 per day at the gate; free for kids 12 and younger. mrbbb.com.

Little Bear Ribfest: 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18, and 4 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at Century Park, 1001 Lakeview Parkway, Vernon Hills. Blues entertainers including Billy Flynn at 7 p.m. and Lurrie Bell at 9 p.m. Friday and The Red, White & Blues at 5 p.m., Laura Rain & The Caesars at 7 p.m. and Danielle Nicole at 9 p.m. Saturday. Rib vendors and local organizations offer food and drink. $5; free for kids 5 and younger. vhparkdistrict.org/little-bear-ribfest/.

The Glenwood Avenue Arts Fest: 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18; and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 19-20, in the Glenwood Avenue Arts District in Rogers Park, at 6900-7030 N. Glenwood Ave., and the 1400 blocks of Morse and Lunt avenues, Chicago. Opening night kickoff jam (music only, no art exhibits) on Friday. Outdoor festival on Saturday and Sunday. See work from more than 150 artists. Three performance stages, kids' activities and more. Free. glenwoodave.org.

Oktoberfest in August: 6:30 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18; 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19; and 1 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, at the Schwaben Center, 301 N. Weiland Road, Buffalo Grove. German music, dancing, beer, food and more. $10; free for kids 17 and younger. oktoberfestinaugust.com.

Harvesting, Preserving & Fall Veggie Fest: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at The Growing Place, 2000 Montgomery Road, Aurora. Sample tomatoes fresh from the garden and more. Free. (630) 820-8088 or thegrowingplace.com.

Bristol Renaissance Faire: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 19-20, at 12550 120th Ave., Kenosha, Wisconsin. Kids' quest, pub crawl, entertainment, food, games, rides, jousting, a marketplace and more. $11.50-$25.95; free for kids 4 and younger. (847) 395-7773 or renfair.com.

Malott Japanese Garden Summer Festival: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 19-20, at the Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake-Cook Road, Glencoe. Learn about the summer festivals (matsuri) celebrated in Japan, listen to taiko drum and koto harp music, hear traditional folk tales, and watch a tea ceremony. Kids' crafts, kite designing and more. Free admission; parking is $25. chicagobotanic.org.

Shop for antiques and collectibles Saturday and Sunday at Long Grove's Vintage Days.

Long Grove Vintage Days: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 19-20, at Old McHenry Road, Long Grove. Celebration of all things vintage, reclaimed, antique and re-purposed. Free ice cream social Saturday, vendors, bluegrass music and an array of throwback activities, including a penny arcade Sunday, a watermelon-eating contest and tractor rides. Free. longgrove.org/festivals/vintage-days/.

See a variety of artwork this weekend at the Oakbrook Center's Fine Art Festival. Daily Herald file photo

Oakbrook Center's Fine Art Festival: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, at 100 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook. Free. amdurproductions.com.

Land & Lake Days and 20th Annual Cardboard Cup Regatta: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, at Lakefront Park, 71 Nippersink Blvd., Fox Lake. Family fest is on Saturday with music, food and drink vendors, family activities and more. Registration and on-site boat building begin at 8 a.m. and the regatta begins at noon Sunday. Free. foxlake.org.

Downers Grove Museum's Dog Days of Summer: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Downers Grove Museum, 831 Maple Ave., Downers Grove. Bring four-legged friends to Wandschneider Park for an end-of-the-summer dog fest with booths from pet-related businesses and shelters. Free. dgparks.org.

Trolley Fest at South Elgin Riverfest: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 19-20, at the Fox River Trolley Museum, 361 S. La Fox St., South Elgin. Vintage trolleys and trains run in conjunction with South Elgin Riverfest Express. $2-$5; free for kids younger than 3. All-day passes cost $8. (847) 697-4676 or foxtrolley.org.

Morton Arboretum's Wine and Art Walk: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 19-20, at the Morton Arboretum, 4100 Route 53, Lisle. More than 30 artists display and sell their wares, live music and wine. Free with paid $9-$14 admission. (630) 968-0074 or mortonarb.org.

Family Peace Fest for Hope and Harmony: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Morton Grove Civic Center, 6140 Dempster St., Morton Grove. Pre-fest events start at 10 a.m. next to the Civic Center at the Farmers Market. Face painting, peace crane folding, a traveling Peace Mural from St. Paul's UCC Church in Downers Grove, a book table with books about peace and more. Amateur artists are invited to create chalk drawings of peace on the (Side)Walk of Peace outside the Civic Center. The Peace Fest features speakers from different houses of worship and a community dance of peace. mortongroveil.org.

Crab World, Crab and Beer Fest: Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 1060 E. Peterson, Grayslake. All-you-can-eat crab fest. General admission is $99, which includes a view of the main stage and an unlimited crab buffet. Beer and wine will be available for purchase. crabandbeerfest.com.

FrictionFest: 2 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Aug. 19, at Broken Oar, 614 Rawson Bridge Road, Port Barrington: Concerts, food and more. Free. (847) 639-9468 or brokenoar.com.

Park Palooza: 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at Berens Park, 493 Oak Lawn Ave., Elmhurst. Music, food, kids' activities, a beer and wine garden and food trucks. Free. epd.org.

Ninth Annual Cruisin' with the Classics Car Show: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, at Grand Dominion Lakeside Lodge, 3555 Grand Dominion Circle, Mundelein. Rain date is Sunday, Aug. 27. Free. (847) 566-2403.

Fiesta de Arlington: Gates open at noon Sunday, Aug. 20, at Arlington International Racecourse, 2200 W. Euclid Ave., Arlington Heights. First post at 1:25 p.m. A day of celebrating Hispanic heritage at the track, including food, music and more. $4-$8. arlingtonpark.com.

Island Lake Lions Club Annual Corn Fest: Noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, at Water Tower Park, 429 State Road, Island Lake. Food, games, raffles, music and free sweet corn. Free. (847) 604-1709 or villageofislandlake.com.

Wheeling International Festival: 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, at the Heritage Park performance pavilion, 333 W. Dundee Road, Wheeling. Celebration of diversity with performances and food. Free. wheelingparkdistrict.com.

Sample local fare during the Taste of the Towns celebration Sunday in Lake Zurich. Daily Herald file photo by Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com

11th Annual Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce's Taste of the Towns: 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, at Paulus Park, 200 S. Rand Road, Lake Zurich. A variety of local food and beverage vendors will be serving samples. Taste menus are available for $40 before the event at tasteofthetowns.com or for $55 on the day of the event (in addition to the $2 entry fee for anyone older than 21). lzareachamber.com.

Next week

DuPage Airport Authority's Back to School Celebration: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22, at the DuPage Airport Authority, 2700 International Drive, West Chicago. The DuPage Airport Authority and the City of West Chicago invite students to sit inside an airplane cockpit and learn about plane instruments; climb on airport fire rescue vehicles; see a vintage Stearman aircraft; plus music and giveaways. Refreshments provided. Free. To register, visit daabacktoschool.eventbrite.com.

Rosemont's Country in the Park: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22, at MB Financial Park, 5501 Park Place, Rosemont. Country concert by Anthony Orio. Free. rosemont.com.

Farm to Fork Festival: 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 23, at Heritage Farm, 201 S. Plum Grove Road, Schaumburg. Top chefs prepare and serve dishes from locally sourced ingredients. Locally made beers and wines. For ages 21 and older. $30; registration deadline is Friday, Aug. 18. (847) 985-2100 or parkfun.com.

Cruisin' Nights and Street Fair: 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24, on Cass Avenue in downtown Westmont. Classic cars, live music, kids' activities and more. Free. westmontevents.com.

Second Hand Soul at PrairieWalk Pond Concert Series: 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24, at the PrairieWalk Pond, Route 8 and Garfield Avenue, Lisle. Food/beer/wine available for purchase on-site. Bring a chair for seating. Free. lisleparkdistrict.org.

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