Festival of the Fox returns to St. Charles' river city roots
This weekend, Festival of the Fox will celebrate St. Charles' rich history, vibrant community and scenic centerpiece, the Fox River.
Sponsored by the city of St. Charles and presented by the Pride of the Fox organization, it features traditional dragon boat races, two music stages, a water ski show, family movie night, entertainment and more with fun activities taking place at Lincoln, Pottawatomie, and Baker Memorial Parks. Activities take place Thursday, June 8, through Sunday, June 11.
Organizers want to clear the air about the evolution of Festival of the Fox, held the same weekend as the former Riverfest, a 30-plus year summer event.
"We wanted to rebrand the event, keeping the focus on the dragon boat races and we wanted to weatherproof the event as well," explained Pride of the Fox board president and 5th Ward City Councilman Ed Bessner. "The dragon boat races have been a mainstay and a tradition for the city of St. Charles for 20 years."
This is the second annual event for Festival of the Fox, according to event coordinator Vanessa Bell-LaSota.
"The Riverfest name and model was rebranded as Festival of the Fox," Bell-LaSota explained. "We did that with a new mission to bring it back to the St. Charles heritage, community, service and opportunity that are the four corner posts of the city's own strategic plan that was newly adopted."
That plan guided the reorganization and rebranding of the event, and Bell-LaSota added that keeping the name "Riverfest" would only confuse participants and give false promises.
The festival kicks off with the Gregory Hyde Band performing at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 8, in Lincoln Park.
A Special Needs Family Day takes place Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. under a covered tent at Pottawatomie Park. Special needs families can experience tae kwon do, airbrush face painting, balloon animals and lawn games. Fourteen vendors will be in attendance, and kids can take home a free Chinese kite as well as opt for a free individual or family caricature done by gifted artist Richard Sherman.
"He's a great artist and he does a lot of charities," Bell-LaSota said.
Canine Companions for Independence, a company that trains shelter dogs to be assistive dogs for special needs individuals; and Buddy Break, offering respite care, will be on hand.
"People can go in and play with the puppies all weekend," Bell-Lasota said. "They'll also be doing demos."
On Saturday, dragon boat races kick off with a dock christening at 8 a.m. by Mayor Ray Rogina. This year, there are 23 teams competing for awards.
"These are actual Chinese dragon boats that seat 18 paddlers," Bessner said. "There's a drummer who is there to keep all the paddlers in sync while they're rowing, and the sport side of it is paddling at the same pace, and that's how you maintain a better speed."
Bessner said on Saturday and Sunday there will be teams competing, with each boat completing two heats lasting about 90 seconds. Teams are then placed in divisions - Komodo or Lizard - and vie for first, second and third place. A Spirit Award also is presented to a team.
Food and entertainment will include eight food vendors selling fare including Mexican food and slow-cooked barbecue. There will be a giant corn maze, eclectic vendor market, and dance demos.
Saturday's Family Movie Night will show "Moana," complete with popcorn and free Hawaiian-themed Chinese lanterns for kids.
"One of the lasting images of last year is of the kids with the bobbing lanterns during the movie night at dusk," Bell-LaSota said. "It was one of the most beautiful images I saw at the event."
Organizers resurrected St. Charles Day, found in the history books of St. Charles, for Saturday. They'll invite people to share stories about St. Charles in a living history recording booth, hoping to attract seniors.
"They're the keepers of those great stories from the past," Bell-LaSota said.
Another new addition is the St. Charles in Bloom contest sponsored by Heinz Brothers Greenhouse Garden Center.
"We gave away 25 giant flower planters online and people are decorating the pots and returning them to us," Bell-LaSota said. "Residents and attendees can come and vote."
For details, visit www.festivalofthefox.com/.
If you go
What: St. Charles Festival of the Fox
When: Thursday, June 8 through Sunday, June 11
Where: Pottawatomie Park, Baker Memorial Park and Lincoln Park
Cost: Free
Details: <a href="http://www.festivalofthefox.com/">www.festivalofthefox.com</a>