Waukegan hosts annual Ray Bradbury festival

The 15th Annual Ray Bradbury Dandelion Wine Fine Arts Festival will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 7, in Bowen Park in Waukegan. The festival is free and open to the public.

The Ray Bradbury Dandelion Wine Fine Arts Festival is an all-ages event that features fine arts, crafts, and music for the entire family. The grass-roots festival is presented by the Waukegan Park District Cultural Arts Division, with sponsorship support by Waukegan Main Street, Family Video, Marcos Pizza, the Waukegan Historical Society, Chiro One Chiropractic Wellness Centers, and AAA Tent Masters.

The theme is "Celebrating Ray Bradbury!"

Throughout the day there will be a special community art project sponsored by Waukegan Main Street that celebrates Ray Bradbury's artistic creativity. The project will capture the essence of summer by creating a collage of a meadow full of dandelions.

Festival attendees will be able to participate by making their own paper dandelions to add to the meadow, as well as help complete a futuristic cityscape of Waukegan.

The late Ray Bradbury is one of Waukegan's favorite sons, and his critically acclaimed "Dandelion Wine," written in the 1950s, remains a best-selling literary masterpiece that provides a glimpse of the magic found in the ravines of Green Town (Waukegan).

Waukegan was Bradbury's hometown when he was growing up.

The festival features multiple outdoor and indoor fine arts staging areas of music, fine arts and crafts, demonstrations and participation in the community art project. Food and refreshments will be available throughout the day for a fee. Indoor facilities will be available in the event of inclement weather.

The Waukegan History Museum, located at the south entrance to Bowen Park, will feature free historical exhibits from 1-4 p.m.

The outdoor Pavilion Music Stage will feature a variety of musical bands and performers throughout the day, headlined at 3 p.m. by Almost Joe. At 2 p.m., Helen Bond will facilitate a community drum circle at the Pavilion Music Stage. Participants may bring their own drum, percussion, and rhythm instruments, or a limited number of instruments will be furnished.

The indoor Schornick Theatre Stage (sponsored by AAA Tent Masters) within the Jack Benny Center for the Arts building in Bowen Park will feature a variety of acoustic music performers throughout the day, including Beatles Jazz guitarist/musician "Jazzman" Jeff Justman, who will perform Beatle Jazz, '60s music, and originals at 3 p.m.

"Jazzman" Jeff will also be the master of ceremonies at the indoor Schornick Theatre's events.

This year marks the first time the festival will have a Bradbury Stage at the Bowen Park Gazebo, sponsored by Chiro One Chiropractic Wellness Centers, which will feature theatrical performances throughout the day.

An outdoor Children's Stage, co-sponsored by Family Video and Marcos Pizza, will feature a variety of musical performances for children.

There will be an Artist and Artisan Demonstration Tent sponsored by the Waukegan Historical Society with fine artists and artisans showcasing their talents and providing information about the artistic processes they use.

A special exhibit titled "Ray Bradbury: Live Forever!" will be shown in the Jack Benny Center for the Arts during the festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The exhibit looks at the influences that Waukegan had on a young Ray Bradbury.

Waukegan's Bowen Park is on Sheridan Road, just north of Greenwood. The festival is held adjacent to the Waukegan Park District's Jack Benny Center for the Arts, the Jane Addams Center, Lilac Cottage, and the Morrison Picnic Pavilion.

Festival events will take place both outdoors and indoors, with available indoor facilities in the event of severe weather. Free parking is available at Waukegan's Bowen Park.

For details about the festival, visit www.waukeganparks.org or www.jackbennycenter.org, or call (847) 360-4740.