News

North Aurora Days: Come for the parade, stay for the fun

Posted August 04, 2010 11:00 pm

By Molly Kozik

Starting with a sirens-blazing emergency vehicle parade, North Aurora will spend the dog days of August partying.

For the past 26 years residents have come together to celebrate summer at the North Aurora Days festival. Join the celebration this weekend, Aug. 6-8, at the Clocktower Plaza on Randall Road and Oak Street and other locations in the village.

Yearly highlights of North Aurora Days are the carnival and beer tent with live bands at the Clocktower Plaza.

The North Aurora Lions Club and North Aurora Mothers Club operate the beer tent from 6 p.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday. Proceeds from the beer sales go to both of the charitable clubs.

Friday night is highlighted by the annual emergency vehicle lights and sirens parade and fireworks display. The parade of new and antique emergency vehicles steps off at 7 p.m. from Tinsel Town and heads north on Route 31 to John Street, west on John to Willowway where it heads north on Oak Street and then south on Randall Road to the festival site.

The village has shared its Fourth of July fireworks with Aurora the past couple of years and devotes its $5,000 fireworks budget to the North Aurora Days display blasted by fireworks specialists Johnny Rockets.

Village trustee Mark Gaffino said that an additional $2,000 in donations from the North Aurora Lions Club, the North Aurora Baseball Association and the Friday Nite Spot will make the 25-minute display even more spectacular. The fireworks begin at approximately 9:15 p.m. Friday. The fireworks will be launched from the southwest corner of Randall Road and Oak Street.

Four new bands are appearing at the festival this year. Red Woody headlines on Friday from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. featuring music from the 70s, 80s, 90s and today. The Movers will start off Friday evening with popular music from the 1950s to the 1980s.

The Lazy Maybes will play classic rock from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday night followed by Friction, a Chicago-based cover band specializing in crowd favorites from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m.

Little ones will enjoy a 24-foot climbing wall, a giant slide and rides at the festival from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights. Older kids are welcome to watch a movie on a giant blowup TV screen and play Band Hero at the video game tent sponsored by Best Buy.

Children will also enjoy the chance to gather their friends up and take fun photos at the FlipFoto Photo booth in the video game tent.

"Lots of rides are geared to the smaller kids and so we wanted to give something for the older kids to do," said Andrea Carroll of the Mothers Club.

The video tent will be located near the band stage. Best Buy volunteers will be on hand in the tent to supervise as well.

The 5K-10K run is returning to North Aurora Days on Saturday at the Mooseheart Fieldhouse after a four year absence.

"We're starting up the race again this year and it's a fundraiser for the North Aurora River District Alliance and the West Aurora High School cross country and track and field teams," according to Tracy Fischer, race coordinator and incoming NAMC president.

"Mooseheart has been very gracious to us again this year," Gaffino said. "They treat us right and the racecourse is great with a lot of shade," he added.

Race day registration begins at 6:45 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. Saturday. The 5K race starts at 7:30 a.m. and the 10K race starts at 7:45 a.m. The fee is $30 the day of the race and the male and female winners in each race will receive shoes from Road Runner Sports in Naperville.

Mooseheart is also the site of the Emergency Vehicle Show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday along with Touch a Truck and Safe Kids Kane County which run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Families are invited to watch fire and rescue demonstrations and get child fingerprinting and kid's photo ids. The North Aurora Police will provide car seat safety checks at the site as well.

North Aurora resident Jaime Gutierrez has volunteered his expertise this year to chair the event's first Baggo Classic bean Bag tournament from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

"Each year we host one in our backyard and it gets more and more elaborate each year. I called up Mark Gaffino and asked if he wanted a tournament during North Aurora Days," Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez is looking for 12 more two-person teams for the double elimination tournament. The entry fee is $40 per team. Gutierrez has local sponsors for each Baggo board and all entrants and sponsors will receive T-shirts. First place winners will receive $500.

Bring your dog or other favorite pet that is willing to be in a parade to the North Aurora Pet Parade Sunday. Entries are available at the Fox Valley Veterinary Clinic until 6 p.m. Friday. The parade starts at the Activity Center and ends at the Fox River from 1 to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Check out www.northauroradays.com for a complete schedule of all the events at this year's festival.

Drew Frank, 4, and his sister Natalie, 7, dress up as pirates with their dog Max, a longhair Chihuahua, for the North Aurora Days pet parade last year. Kevin Sherman | Staff Photographer

If you go

What: North Aurora Days festival

When: 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday; Aug. 6-8

Where: The festival main state is at Clock Tower Plaza at the corner of Oak Street and Randall Road; other events take place throughout the village.

How much? Admission is free. Carnival rides are $2 apiece with tickets for sale at the gate.

Details: See <a href="http://www.northauroradays.com" target="new">www.northauroradays.com</a> for a complete schedule or call (630) 897-8228.

Article Comments

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.