Trains, strains and automobiles at South Elgin's Riverfest
Car aficionados rolled into South Elgin with plenty of perfectly polished vehicles for the RiverFest Express car show Sunday, a highlight of the music-filled RiverFest Express festival's final day.
More than 100 vehicles, from hot rods to vintage trucks, lined up on the bank of the Fox River for people of all ages to enjoy. The car show had a new location this year, on the east side of the Fox River near Tredup's and Mary's Corner Tap.
Besides cars, the three-day fest also featured a number of musical acts, including Mike and Joe, 7th heaven, and Hillbilly Rockstarz.
The event also gave its visitors a chance to check out the nearby fully accessible playground at SEBA Park and the Fox Valley Trolley Museum, where a wide range of old electric train cars were on display.
"We pick up a lot more visitors when Riverfest is going on," said Chuck Galitz, the museum's chief lineman. "That's why (during Riverfest) we run more cars. We run a bunch that aren't out all time, ones we keep in the barn for events like this.
"It's an experience you're not going to get someplace else," he added.
The most popular spot for kids and families is the caboose. There, kids can sit in the engineer's cab and pretend they are a conductor controlling the other trains.
"We look forward to it every year," Galitz said.