Northbrook Days canceled for this year, but fundraising grand prize raffle will be held
Although Northbrook Days was set to return to the village's downtown in late summer, what's in store for 2021 has yet to be determined in the wake of the cancellation of this year's event.
Citing soggy ground from a heavy rain and concern about tree roots, Northbrook Park Disrict officials said they decided about a week before the 2019 event that portions of the festival such as carnival rides could not be held at Village Green Park. That led to the fest's one-time shift to Northbrook Court's parking lot.
What would have been the 96th annual festival was scheduled for its downtown return from Aug. 5 to 9 under an agreement reached between the Northbrook Civic Foundation - the event's organizer - the park district and village board. However, the foundation announced the fest's cancellation last month over public health concerns from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Northbrook Days co-chairman Matt Settler said the immediate focus is on an annual grand prize raffle to raise money for college scholarships for graduating high school seniors and grants for local community organizations. He said the raffle still will be held over the festival dates, but details are being worked on by the festival committee.
Settler said the nonprofit civic foundation has received the necessary raffle permit approval from the Northbrook village board. He said the raffle brings in $50,000 on average.
"We will do some sort of public (raffle) event," Settler said. "Most likely, it will be a virtual public event. We have to do it in the public. We can't do it privately, so we have to come up with some way, whether we use social media or we use village avenues to get out to the general public. That's what we have to do."
Under the agreement for this year, the festival would have been allowed to have several smaller rides on Shermer Road outside Village Green Park.
Shermer would have been closed a few days before and during the fest from the west fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River to Meadow Road, according to the deal that was approved by the village board in February.
Settler said discussions about the potential for Northbrook Days to be held downtown in 2021 have yet to occur.
"As far as 2021 goes, it's so far out right now and with everything that's been going on, we really have not been able to focus on that per se," he said. "What I can tell you is that we definitely look forward to working with community partners and continuing the effort and continuing to have Northbrook Days in the downtown area of Northbrook."
Park district spokeswoman Joan Scovic also said talks have yet to occur regarding the 2021 fest. The festival has rides, games, local cuisine, beer, wine, live music and more.
Northbrook Days serves as the main fundraiser for the volunteer-led civic foundation.
At least $3.2 million for the college scholarships and community organizations has been raised since 1950, along with about $400,000 for park district improvement projects, according to the foundation.
Top prize in the raffle often is the choice of a new car or $20,000 cash. Up to 20 smaller prizes from local are given away each night of the festival.