Good Old Days celebrates 57th year with parades, contests, tours
Winfield’s 57th annual Good Old Days festival features three days of live music with 10 musical artists, food, a car show, parade and more on Sept. 5-7.
There also will be the popular meatball-eating contest, a ladies shoe-kicking contest, and a bags tournament.
The three-day festival also features activities and fun for the children, activities for adults, and business expo on Church Street and Beecher Avenue.
The Winfield Knights of Columbus Council 8002 and Winfield Lions Club partner with the village of Winfield and Winfield Park District to host this free, family-friendly end-of-summer festival.
Festival hours are: 4 to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Music stage
The River 95.9 FM radio will open the festival broadcasting live from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Headlining Friday night's entertainment at 8:30 p.m. will be the Blooze Brothers, a tribute band honoring the music from the classic 1980 movie.
The opener at 4 p.m. will be Jacksson Hamilton playing acoustic folk, rock, Americana and country, followed by Sammy & The Knights at 5:30 p.m. The hometown band, which includes members of the Knights of Columbus, loves to give back to the community through their musical performances.
On Saturday, the entertainment starts at noon with singer/songwriter Gabrielle Alderice who has a passion for 1990s grunge, Spanish pop rock, alternative and metal.
At 1 p.m., Ken Fuchs will play many of his own unique arrangements of classic rock from the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s on acoustic guitar. A Winfield resident for almost four decades, this is his fourth time playing music at the festival (1996 with his band The Rhythm Killers, 2010 with Blue Rock Inn, and 2019 as a solo acoustic act.
He will be followed at 2:30 p.m. by Mario C, a lead singer and guitarist for five decades, performing songs from 1950s, ’60s and up. He has played at many local festivals and had his first solo debut at Fiesta Del Sol last year.
50/50 will kick the party in gear at 4:30 p.m. with a diverse collection of classic rock.
Next up at 6:30 p.m. will be the cover band SWAK (Sealed With A Kiss). Finishing up the night will be LP Vinyl, with lead singer Pete Greco at 8:30 p.m.
Wrapping up the festival will be Winfield’s own Rob Russo and The Loose Screws from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
Duck Race
On Sunday, the Knights of Columbus and the Winfield Park District will be hosting the 31st annual duck race. At 10 a.m., hundreds of yellow rubber ducks will be released into the DuPage River and race downstream for a variety of prizes donated by local businesses. A $200 cash prize will be awarded to the first-place finisher. Ducks can be adopted in flocks of five for $20 or individually for $5. Ducks may be purchased at the information booth during Good Old Days.
Parade
The Good Old Days Parade, with the theme, “Honoring Winfield’s Legends,” will step off at 1 p.m. Sunday. The parade will begin on Sunnyside Avenue at Forest Street and move west to Winfield Road. It turns north on Winfield Road and continues to Beecher Avenue, where it turns left (or west). It goes for one more block west and disperses at Beecher and Park Street.
After the parade, Winfield District 34 will hold an alumni gathering near the family tent. Former students, staff, volunteers and family members are invited to share stories and ask questions about current learning opportunities.
Family fun
The Kids Zone will feature a petting zoo, bounce houses, Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, and more from 4 p.m. to dusk Friday, 10 a.m. to dusk Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. It will be closed for the parade between 12:45 and 1:45 p.m.
The Friends of the Winfield Library book sale will be 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Grab a partner, create a really cool team name, and enter yourselves into this year's Winfield Lions Club Bags Tournament from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. To learn more about registering your team, visit www.winfieldgoodolddays.com.
The meatball-eating contest, sponsored by Caliendos Restaurant & Bar, will begin at 2 p.m. sharp Saturday near the main stage. The Ladies Shoe Kicking Contest, sponsored by the Winfield Historical Society, will be 3 to 4 p.m. on Church Street.
At noon Saturday, Winfield Historical Society will announce the winners of the passport and coloring contest.
Be a winner at the Winfield Park District's Good Old Days Coin Carnival from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Creekside Park. Kids, age 3 to 14, can try their luck at games of skill and chance to win various special prizes. Tickets are 25 cents each or $5 to do everything.
On Saturday, there will be a petting zoo from noon to 4 p.m., Windy City Mobile Game Theater from 4 to 10 p.m., and Glow in the Dark Ax Throw from 7:30 to 10 p.m.
On Sunday, check out some classic 1950s-style car, muscle cars, and vintage vehicles from 9 a.m. to noon at the Church Street Metra commuter lot. It will benefit the Tony Reyes Family Foundation. For more, go to thetonyreyesfamilyfoundation.org.
Winfield Lions Football Game and Raffle will begin at noon Sunday.
Historic trolley tours
Take a tour around town with the Winfield Historical Society's Historic Trolley Tours on Saturday. Learn the history, view the sites, and enjoy the comfortable tour from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be stops at Winfield Primary School at Winfield Road and Beecher Avenue; Church Street and Jewell Road; and Hedges Station Historical Museum tours. New this year is a stop at the Winfield Fire Protection District for a station tour. Note: the bus runs every 30 minutes and the fire station tour lasts 30 minutes. There is limited parking at the fire station.
For a schedule of events, visit winfieldgoodolddays.com.