Rubber ducks, cars and a cow herald the return of Shermerfest in Northbrook
A trio of events — including a Cow-pie Moolette, a rubber duck race and a car show — were among the highlights of the annual Shermerfest, held Sunday at Village Green Park in Northbrook.
For half-an-hour, Hattie the cow wandered around an enclosed grassy area, which was marked with 289 three-foot squares; people purchased tickets for a chance to win $1,000 if she deposited a cow pie on a winning grid. As was the case in Sunday's competition, if she didn't happen to poop, the winning ticket was determined by the location of her right rear hoof when time elapsed.
Hattie seemed to favor areas along the temporary orange plastic fence line during the event, probably because children were petting her.
“It's a lot of fun,” said Ron Bernardi, a Northbrook Historical Society board member and Sunset Foods community service representative who served as emcee.
“They get to see a cow. I bet some of them have never seen a cow before,” he said in regard to the suburban kids gathered along the fence line.
Next up was the Northbrook Rotary Club's rubber duck race. More than 2,000 numbered rubber ducks were dumped from the bucket of a Northbrook Public Works front loader, positioned on the Shermer Road bridge, into the West Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River. With a little added current courtesy of public works, the ducks floated downstream just shy of the Walters Avenue Bridge, where a team of Rotary Club members plucked the first three winning duckies out for respective prizes of $1,000, $500 and $250.
A temporary fence just beyond the finish line was used to help collect the rest of the rubber ducks, which were then sanitized and reused.
Gary Moriello of Rotary said over $20,000 worth of tickets were sold, and the money will help provide grants for community agencies as well as scholarships for students seeking vocational training.
The car show featured a variety of vehicles displayed throughout the park, and was a popular attraction. Cars with manufacturing dates spanning nearly a century, including a 1936 five-window Ford coupe and such oddities as a German-made 1955 Messerschmitt KR200 three-wheeled bubble car, were among those displayed.
Dan Kaye, a historical society board member who runs the car show, said the event is in its 21st year, and around 85 cars were displayed. He said that the event is in a park, rather than a parking lot, makes Shermerfest's show special.
“A lot of people think this is one of their favorite shows, and a lot of it has to do with the setting,” Kaye said. “It's in a beautiful park, and of course the weather is nice today.”
Even cars from the 1960s and 70s are popular.
“Everybody relates to the cars, especially if you're a little older,” Kaye said. “You relate to the year.”