Reveling on the river
Sweatshirt-clad revelers enjoyed a gray, sometimes drizzly day at the Pride of the Fox RiverFest in downtown St. Charles Saturday.
Stroller-pushers and dog-walkers ambled from Pottawatomie Park, home to the dragon boat races and a dog agility demonstration, to the craft fair near city hall, the car show near the First Street parking garage and the carnival on Cedar Street.
Along the way, many stopped by the tent of Boy Scout Troop 13 for lunch.
The boys, who are mostly Life and Star Scouts, had handed out fliers throughout the festival advertising their fare. What was the most popular?
“Mainly the pulled pork,” said Stephen Richmond of West Chicago. It came with coleslaw, either on the side or served East Coast style, right in the sandwich.
The boys are raising money to buy more camping gear and a new trailer to store it in. The troop has grown tremendously in the last year, to about 60 members, so they need more stuff, said Ken Waheb of St. Charles. He’ll be camping with the troop in the Boundary Waters in Minnesota later this summer.
Ryan Gerber of St. Charles said he is going to Gerber Scout Reserve in Michigan. What will he be doing? “Nothing impossible ... but I can rappel off a climbing wall,” he said.
Ryan said he thought RiverFest “is really fun. I’ve never seen the town this way; everybody is so happy.”
Festival goers also enjoyed the work of another group of teenagers, the “tae kwon dance” performance by students at Bill Cho’s UTC martial arts school.
Performing to music, the performers moved in unison, kicking, twirling, chopping the air. One routine featured whirling numchucks.
“Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah!” they cried out.
The team included Megan Kingston of St. Charles, John and James Lim of Elburn and Kristina Graunke of South Elgin.
The Lims are the son of one of the grand masters at the school.
Graunke said the martial arts offer “a great way to meet new friends” and provide good exercise. James Lim agreed, noting it involved “lots of leg muscles.” The practice also increases flexibility and is aerobic, judging by the perspiration on the students’ faces after a performance.
The festival continues today.