Fest on the Fox relocated to Carpenter Park

A new location has prompted an updated activity schedule and a broader community scope for this year's Carpentersville festival put on by Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce.

After being held in the parking lot of Otto Engineering the last three years, the fourth annual Fest on the Fox is relocating less than a mile away to the recently renovated Carpenter Park. The event, scheduled noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, aims to promote local artists, businesses, bands and restaurants, chamber President Melissa Hernandez said.

"We're celebrating all the wonderful things Northern Fox Valley has to offer," she said. "As events evolve, you want to constantly be thinking of ways to make it bigger and better and to incorporate (more of) your community."

Roughly $1 million worth of improvements were completed last year at Carpentersville's flagship park off Carpenter Boulevard. Though plans were initiated in 2013, the project hit various setbacks that stalled the improvements and left the park largely unusable for years.

With the work now complete, Hernandez said, the site seemed to be a more natural fit for the festival's family-oriented atmosphere. The new location also offered an opportunity to expand the event's event schedule, she said.

A softball game between members of the U.S. Army, Marines and Navy starts at 3 p.m. - an activity only possible because of the new field put in at the park, Hernandez said. The winning team will have a donation made in its name to the charity of its choice.

Also new is a 5K run/walk through Carpentersville's Old Town area. A portion of each participant's $30 registration fee will go to a local charity that has partnered with the chamber, Hernandez said. The lineup for the race begins at 5:30 p.m.

The festival, co-sponsored by the village, has a beer garden, food vendors and live music throughout the day. The event also includes a Business Expo, a car show, a bags tournament, a craft area for kids, a moon bounce house and other family-friendly activities.

"We think of it as a traditional company picnic," Hernandez said. "It's really kind of good, old-fashioned fun."

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.nkcchamber.com/northern-kane-fest-on-the-fox.