Festivals highlight end of summer
The Labor Day holiday next weekend holiday can leave you with a little more time to spend with family and scrambling to find something to do with it. Your kids aren't the only ones celebrating having a day off to enjoy the last of summer. Take advantage of the occasion by heading to one of these community festivals that have plenty of events to enjoy with your entire family.
Naperville's Last Fling
Naperville Riverwalk, 320 W. Jackson Ave., Naperville, (630) 961-4143, lastfling.org
Price: Free, $10-$12 for main stage entertainment
Parking: Free parking and shuttle service
Hours: 5 to 11 p.m. Aug. 29, 10 a.m.to 11 p.m. Aug. 30 and 31, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 1
Naperville celebrates the last days of summer in grand style with this annual festival, which brings in 300,000 people. You'll find a variety of local food vendors and a parade at 10 a.m. Sept. 1 from Mill Street and 5th Avenue, preceded by a pre-parade race. Games and other fun events are packed throughout the schedule, including a pie eating contest, dog show and talent show.
This year's kids' activities have expanded to the point that they were moved from the Riverwalk to Naper Settlement for extra space. A special toddler zone is dedicated to activities for the youngest visitors while older kids can bounce in a jump zone, meet a variety of animals at a petting zoo and watch a daylong schedule of family entertainment including costumed characters and Irish dancers. A carnival from Main Street to Centennial Beach also offers a variety of rides and midway games.
Lights on the Lake
Main Beach, 300 Lake Shore Drive, Crystal Lake, crystallakeparks.org
Price: $2
Parking: Free for residents, $5 nonresidents
Hours: 5-11 p.m. Aug. 31
Local boaters will light up their crafts and show them off at Main Beach as they compete for the best decorations. While you watch them coast, you can listen to David Radford and Jake and Elwood Blooze perform while picking up snacks from food and beverage tents.
Taking advantage of the beach setting, the Park District will rope off an area just for kids, with two moonwalks, games and a treasure hunt. Kids can dig through a 10-foot high pile of sand for all sorts of hidden goodies, including a key that opens a treasure chest packed with $100 worth of new toys.
Fox Valley Folk Music and Storytelling Festival
Island Park, Route 25 and 38, Geneva, (630) 897-3655, foxvalleyfolk.com
Price: $15, $10 for teens and seniors, free for kids under 12
Parking: Free
Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 31 and Sept. 1
Basically all the events at the 32nd annual festival are kid-friendly. Eight stages of entertainment run throughout the day, including acoustic folk performances and storytelling that the whole family can enjoy. A kids area includes concerts especially themed for younger listeners and more hands on programs with crafts projects and guitar lessons in case they want to try making some music of their own.
Sunday evening you can learn some line and circle dancing steps at a community barn dance at 6 p.m., followed by ghost stories from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Families often come bundled up in blankets or sleeping bags and the first hour is kept mild enough to spook the kids without giving them nightmares while the seriously creepy material comes out after most have left or fallen asleep.
Lake in the Hills Summer Sunset Festival
Sunset Park, 5200 Miller Road, Lake in the Hills, (847) 960-7400, summersunsetfest.com
Hours: 3 to 10:30 p.m. Aug. 29, 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Aug. 30, noon to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 31
Price: Free
Parking: Free
Summer Sunset Festival is packed with activities no matter what day you head out. Events include an arts and crafts fair with 30 crafters from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, a classic and custom car show from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday and a grand fireworks finale at 9:30 p.m. Sunday. One of the biggest draws is the festival parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, heading east from Grafton Farm Road and Miller Road with lots of floats and entertainment including bands, clowns and dance and martial arts groups. Local restaurants sell food throughout the day and each night concludes with live music where you can grab some space under the tent and relax.
The Centegra Kids' Corner offers nonstop activities for elementary school aged children from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. You'll find police car and canine officer demonstrations from the Lake in the Hills Police Department, balloon twisting, interactive mad science stations, juggling Saturday and a magic show on Sunday. The festival also includes a carnival with unlimited ticket wristbands available during select times. Or if you have some time to plan before going, the whole family can get creative to enter the Mellon Propellin' contest, building a portable watermelon launcher to compete to see who can get their fruit to fly the furthest.
Buffalo Grove Days
Buffalo Grove Village Campus, Raupp Boulevard and Lake Cook Road, Buffalo Grove, (847) 459-2511, www.vbg.org
Hours: 6 to 11 p.m. Aug. 28 and 29; noon to 11 p.m. Aug. 30-Sept. 1.
Price: Free
The 50th annual festival promises to be big, featuring bingo, an arts and crafts fair, food and drink vendors, a parade at 1 p.m. Sunday going from Bernard Drive and Arlington Heights Road and fireworks at 9:15 p.m. Evenings bring in live music with Blood, Sweat and Tears Aug. 30 and American English Aug. 31. Kids can get involved before they head out by baking up something for the dessert challenge or you can enter the adult contest with your favorite recipe. Even if you don't have time to cook you can sample some of the competing sweets for $1, which goes to the local food bank. Just make sure not to eat too much if you plan on hitting the carnival, where you can get discount tickets if you buy in advance or unlimited ride wristbands during select times.