Phillips Park goes all out for festival
Even the most hard-to-please child should have a good time at Aurora's Phillips Park Fall Festival.
The free annual fest offers pretty much anything and everything a child or family could want.
Pony and hay rides. Pumpkin decorating. A petting zoo. A super slide and jumping castle. Face painting, clowns and caricatures.
And don't forget the zoo itself, where the celebration is held.
Phillips Park's Fall Festival runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in the Phillips Park Zoo area, 1000 Ray Moses Drive, near Hill Avenue and Montgomery Road.
Kids can enjoy hands-on crafts such as glitter magnets and bead-making. The first 1,600 children in the pumpkin-painting tent can take their creations home.
Food will have an Oktoberfest flair, featuring brats, hot dogs, apple cider and more. Live entertainment begins outside the Visitors Center at 11 a.m. with Magic By Randy, The Truly Remarkable Loon, among others.
Aurora fire and police officials will be on hand, as well as McGruff the crime-fighting dog, Ozzie the Kane County Cougar mascot and zoo mascot Olly.
Zookeepers also will give presentations of their most popular animals: wolves at 12:30 p.m., cougars at 1:30 p.m. and river otters at 2:30 p.m. Other zoo exhibits include an elk herd, llamas, foxes, goats, peacocks and reptiles.
Fall Fest, hosted by the mayor's office of special events, began in 1999, with organizers wanting to have a free family event to showcase the park and zoo.
In past years, between 5,000 and 15,000 people have attended, said Lisa Jungels, a city special events coordinator.
"The children all just have a scream out there," she said. "Everyone brings the whole family and neighbors and friends."
Phillips Park, located on more than 325 acres, features a golf course, the Sunken Garden with a fountain and floral displays, a historic waterfall, World War I cannons, veterans monuments and the 28-acre Mastodon Lake. A 1-mile jogging and bike path circles the fishing lake.
If you go
What: Phillips Park Fall Festival
When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
Where: Phillips Park Zoo, 1000 Ray Moses Drive, Aurora
Cost: Free
Info: (630) 844-7431 or aurora-il.org