Best Bets: Long Grove’s strawberry fest and Rosemont’s Rockin’ the USA music fest

Posted June 23, 2026 1:32 pm

Chocolate-covered strawberry kebabs will be available during the Long Grove Strawberry Fest taking place Friday through Sunday, June 26-28. Daily Herald File Photo

Summer and strawberries

Long Grove celebrates all things strawberry — in the form of jams, pastries, sundaes, desserts, specialty drinks and more — during its annual Strawberry Fest at 145 Old McHenry Road. The fest includes carnival rides and games along with music from Sixteen Candles at 9 p.m. Friday, Sons of Chicago at 9 p.m. Saturday, KennyLive at 4:30 p.m. Sunday and more. $7 a day, $15 for a three-day pass, free for kids 12 and younger. longgrove.org/festivals/strawberry-fest. Noon to 11 p.m. Friday, June 26; 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, June 27; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 28

Outdoor weekend concerts mark the seventh anniversary of The Venue in Aurora. Courtesy of Marissa Amoni

Venue fetes seven years

The Venue, 21 S. Broadway, Aurora, celebrates seven years with a pair of outdoor concerts featuring headliners Chicago Farmer and The Fieldnotes on Friday and Laurel Canyon on Sunday. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. The concerts take place rain or shine. Bring chairs and blankets. themusicvenue.org. 8 p.m. Friday, June 26, and 4 p.m. Sunday, June 28

Lotsa laughs

• Olivia Carter (“The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon,” “Funny AF With Kevin Hart”) headlines Zanies Comedy Club, 5437 Park Place, Rosemont. $37.95, plus a two-item minimum. (847) 813-0484 or rosemont.zanies.com. 7 p.m. Friday, June 26, and 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 27

• Monroe Martin brings his “Unsupervised Tour” to the Comedy Vault, 18 E. Wilson St., Batavia. $31, plus a two-item minimum. (630) 454-4174 or comedyvaultbatavia.com. 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 26-27

• Stand-up comedian, radio host, actor and author Jim Norton, co-host of the Ultimate Fighting Championship podcast “UFC Unfiltered,” headlines The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. $37-$60, plus a two-item minimum. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com. 7:15 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 26-27

The Opera Festival of Chicago begins this week at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie.

Bohemian tragedy

• The Opera Festival of Chicago stages “La Bohème,” Giacomo Puccini’s opera about young, struggling artists and lovers navigating 1830s Paris. The performances take place at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. $25-$91. OperaFestivalChicago.org. 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 26, and Wednesday, July 1, and 2 p.m. July 5

• The festival continues with “Adriana Lecouvreur,” Francesco Cilea’s tragic opera about a love triangle between a young actress, a dashing nobleman and a jealous princess, also at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. $25-$91. OperaFestivalChicago.org. 2 p.m. Sunday, June 28, and 7:30 p.m. July 3

Nightly fireworks are a part of Rosemont’s first three-day Rockin’ in the USA Independence Day music fest. Courtesy of the Village of Rosemont

Rockin’ the 4th in Rosemont

Rosemont celebrates the nation’s 250th anniversary and its 70th anniversary as a village during a free, three-day Rockin’ in the USA fest over the July 4 weekend. It takes place at the Parkway Bank Park entertainment district, 5501 Park Place, Rosemont, and includes music by the tribute bands Toby Keith Made in America, Super Diamond and Garth Guy. Don’t miss the fireworks, a patriotic costume contest and the honor guard at 3:15 p.m. July 4. Free. parkwaybankpark.com. 7-10 p.m. Thursday, July 2; 6-10 p.m. Friday, July 3; and 2-10 p.m. Saturday, July 4