Families enjoy LIbertyville pumpkin fest
Pumpkins played a big part in the fun Saturday, as children painted orange gourds and guessed the weight of a giant squash at Libertyville's annual Pumpkinfest.
Families enjoyed the ideal fall weather, as well as games, crafts and face painting at the annual event hosted by 24 downtown businesses and MainStreet Libertyville. Those who brought a canned food item for the Township Food Pantry took home a small pumpkin, courtesy of the Rotary Club.
A favorite event among the younger set was the chance to climb aboard a fire engine or ambulance and operate the controls. Children could turn on police car sirens and stand beside a truck equipped with a giant snowplow and pose for photographs, perched in the tires of immense trucks.
Paramedic Steve Holtz and firefighters from the Libertyville Fire Department answered questions about the ambulance and fire engine.
"We give the kids the opportunity to see the equipment. That way, if an emergency ever does arise at their home, they're not as frightened," Holtz said.
Fifteen vehicles were on display on Church Street between Brainerd and Milwaukee avenues, including a cherry picker owned by Wheeling-based The Care of Trees.
Five-year-old Marjoleine and three-year-old Sebastiaan Daems climbed into the bucket of the cherry picker and worked the lever.
"This is so nice for the kids. It's a great idea let them get close to these large machines that they normally wouldn't be able to see," said the children's mom Ilse Daems of Libertyville.
The Care of Trees has brought the cherry picker to Pumpkinfest for the past three years, said representative Maurice Lee.
"The kids have a chance to look inside the bucket, and their parents can explain how the equipment works," Lee said.
Operating a table set up alongside the Bookmobile, Starbucks employees passed out free cookies, juice and coffee. Other local businesses were decked out for Halloween, as well.
"It's a fun event. The kids are having a great time," said Kelly Zahn of Libertyville. She and her children: Lillie, 7 and Andrew, 4, were attending Pumpkinfest for the first time.