Windmill City Festival includes Diaper Derby, bags tournament
When Allison Sohr says the Windmill City Festival in Batavia tries to appeal to people of all ages, she means it.
The young children and adolescents at the fire hose challenge won't be the youngest participants in festival events.
A Diaper Derby, which pits babies six to 15 months old against each other in an all-out, no-holds-barred, fast-paced, er, crawl to the finish line, stands as one of the main attractions.
Sohr said more than 20 babies usually participate and parents stand at the end of the track and dangle anything from keys to teddy bears to entice their children to the finish line.
"It's guaranteed to make people of all ages smile," said Sohr, the director of marketing and public relations for the Batavia Park District."
The Windmill City Festival begins at 5 p.m. today at Houston Street and Island Avenue in downtown Batavia. Live music, a carnival and a beer garden will kick off the festival. The bulk of the festival takes place all day Friday and Saturday with the Diaper Derby set to start at 3:30 p.m. on Friday at the Main Stage.
Aside from the speed crawl, a dodge ball tournament with age bracket from 7 to 12 years old begins at 9 a.m. Friday.
Big wheel races for children up to 6 years old begin at noon on Friday.
And local dignitaries will sit in a dunk tank as children of all ages can compete for prizes.
"It's a free-for-all," Sohr said. "We intentionally have the (Batavia) high school football coach and local dignitaries because we know it's a rarity to be able to sink someone of that stature."
But the festivities are not only for children.
A beer garden will be open Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m. and then all day Friday and Saturday beginning at noon each day.
A charity bags tournament and a 5K run also are scheduled.
The festival used to be called Boo Boo Days. In the 1980s, they changed the name to the Windmill City Festival to honor Batavia's past standing as a major resource for windmill manufacturing.
For the first time, the festival will begin on Thursday.
Sohr said the demand for the extra day necessitated the addition.
In past years, only the carnival had been open on the first day.
"Throughout the years, people have asked why not have some entertainment on the main stage (on the first day)," she said. "That way everybody can unwind. It's truly a family event."