Three days of family fun at Elburn Days Aug. 16-18

The annual Elburn Days on Aug. 16-18 features a full weekend of live entertainment, bingo, plenty of food, a pie baking contest, tractor pulls, crafters, a beer tent, mud volleyball, livestock auction, dunk tank and carnival rides.

Festival hours are 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday at the Elburn Lions Park, 500 S. Filmore St. Admission is free. There is no charge to enter the beer garden or listen to the bands perform.

Parade

See local clubs, organizations, and businesses march in the annual Elburn Days parade kicking off the three-day festival on Friday at 6 p.m. from the intersection of North Reader and Main streets.

After stepping off, the parade heads south on Main Street/Route 47, then west on South Street to end at Lions Park, at the corner of South Street and Filmore Street.

The parade will feature many tractors, horses, high school and middle school bands, fire trucks, dancers and many local businesses.

Drivers should use an alternate route that evening. Main Street/Route 47 will be closed from Route 38 to Keslinger Road from 5:45 to 8 p.m. for the parade. Motorists are asked to use Anderson Road, east of Route 47, as a bypass.

Main Stage

There will be old favorites and new acts on the Main Stage, located at the south end of the park, near the beer garden along Stetzer Avenue.

On Friday, Whiskey Romance will open the festival stage at 8 p.m.

On Saturday, the Jared Olson Band will perform from 4 to 7 p.m., followed by the headliners Trippin Billies, a Dave Matthew Band tribute band, from 8 to 11 p.m.

On Sunday, the three-day festival will close out with Motown Nation from 3 to 5:30 p.m. and Two Beer Tommy from 6 to 8 p.m.

There also will be music at the beer garden with Terry Byrne Music from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, and the classic rock duo Kev & Matt from noon to 2:30 p.m.

Community Stage

The Community Stage is filled with family-friendly entertainment all weekend long. Many of the events are open to participation for kids. It will be set up just east of the clubhouse.

On Friday, bring your lawn chair or blankets for a free children’s movie in the park at 8 p.m. Some bleacher seats will be available.

On Saturday, the Leos Induction Ceremony will be at 10:30 a.m. At 12:45 and 3:30 p.m., the dancers from M & M Dance will take the stage. From 1:30 to 2:15 p.m., dance to the music of Taylor Swift and bring your best friendship bracelets. At 2:30 p.m., there will be a free dance class, perfect for ages 2-5. Enjoy a Barbie Stage Performance at 3:15 p.m.

On both days, the Kids Fun Zone will offer free games and activities from noon to 3 p.m.

On Sunday, the community worship service will be at 9:30 a.m. At 10:45 p.m., veterans are invited for free coffee and doughnuts, sponsored by Dunkin Donuts in Elburn. At 11:30 a.m., kids can learn some fun facts about the American flag and learn how to properly fold it. At 1 p.m., there will be a Willy Wonka Stage Performance and Photos with the Characters. Girls and boys age 5 to 10 can join in a free Hip Hop Class at 1:30 p.m. At 2:15 p.m., there will be a dance performance by Dance Dynamics, followed by dancers from M & M Dance at 3:30 p.m.

Stop by the IG Worthy Photo Stations throughout the weekend. Use your own camera. There will be volunteers at the station most times, during the hours of 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. to take the photo of your family or group. The stations will be available for photos all weekend, even if a volunteer is not present.

Truck & Tractor Pulls

The Truck & Tractor Pulls return for 47th year starting at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Illini State Pullers class lineup may include: Super Stock Trucks, Altered Trucks, Hot Street Diesel Trucks, NA Super Stock/Pro-Field Tractors, Stock Gas Trucks, and Stock Diesel Trucks. Admission is $10 for age 13 or older. Gates open at 10 a.m.

Craft show

Support local with the Elburn Chamber of Commerce's Elburn Days Craft Show from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Pie-baking contest

Blackberry Masonic Lodge 359 is hosting a pie-baking contest. Drop off your pies for registration between 8 and 9:30 a.m. Sunday at the clubhouse banquet hall. The categories are: fruit, nut, and other (no dairy, cream or meat pies allowed). There is one grand prize ($100), three first prizes ($50), and three runner-up prizes ($25).

RC Car Race

The Elburn Days Charity RC Car Race returns on Sunday, hosted by HobbyTown Batavia. The race brings together hobbyists and enthusiasts from around the region to compete on a specially designed track, showcasing their skills with a variety of remote-control vehicles. A range of categories, accommodating different types of remote control cars and skill levels, will help ensure a fun and competitive environment for everyone involved. Spectators will have the opportunity to witness high-speed action and precision driving.

Entry fee is $10 a class; limit 4 entries per person. Register in advance at HobbyTown Batavia but they will have registration from 8 to 8:45 a.m. The racing starts at 9:30 a.m. Some power will be available, but personal generators are recommended.

Bingo

Grab your daubers and lucky socks for this year's Elburn Days Bingo. Bingo hours are 8 to 10 p.m. Friday, 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, and 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday. You must be 18 years of age or older to play. All games are $1 each. The Lions also will be selling $1 pull tabs during bingo.

Raffles

The Elburn Lions Club hosts a car raffle every year. Tickets are on sale for $20 at the Lions Club, local businesses or online. Only 3,750 tickets are sold. The winner will receive the choice of a 2024-25 Chevy car or truck from Bob Jass Chevrolet in Elburn or $30,000 cash.

The 50/50 raffle tickets are $5, and available via local businesses, Lions Club members, or online. Tickets also will be on sale at various locations throughout Lions Park during the entire festival.

The drawings will be held at 8 p.m. Sunday. Profits will go to projects that aid the community and visually impaired.

Profits generated from Elburn Days go toward Lions Club projects such as: Community Citizens in Need, Juvenile Diabetes, visually impaired programs, seniors Christmas dinner, Camp Lions for Children, local food pantries, Leader Dog for the Blind, local homeless shelters, children's vision screenings, and glaucoma and hearing screenings.

Visit elburnlions.com/elburn-days/ for a complete schedule of events or go to facebook.com/elburndays.