What the hay! Huntley's Fall Fest welcomes the season with family fun
As the summer season of carnivals and festivals comes to a close, the Huntley community saves its best for fall.
Huntley Fall Fest 2008 is set for Friday and Saturday at Deicke Park, and festival organizers are not kidding when they say they've packed in something for everyone.
From crafts to car shows and school bands to headliner bands, the seemingly unending schedule of events kicks off at 4 p.m. Friday and runs all day and into the night Saturday.
"The idea of this festival is to have something for everyone, and that's why we have so many things to do," festival chairman Gary Minor said. "Our entertainment includes huge local bands that have a big following, and we've added Friday night to this year's fest so we're hoping to get even more people."
Minor said the festival in its first two years attracted an average of 5,000 people. Organizers expect the addition of Friday night and the big-name entertainment to draw 500 to 1,000 more attendees this year, the third since the community-oriented festival began.
Friday night's headlining bands include Tongue and Groove, playing on the main stage from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and Modern Day Romeos from 9 to 11 p.m. For Saturday, entertainers Denny Diamond, Cover Girl and Hi Infidelity will perform between 4 to 11 p.m.
The Sun City Lion's Club will start Saturday's festivities with a pancake breakfast in the old school cafeteria from 7 to 11 a.m. And at 8 a.m., runners will step out for the Fall Fest Fun Run. Kids age 2 to 12 and their families are invited to arrive at the park at 9 a.m. to make signs and decorations in preparation for the Kids Parade, which will officially open the Fall Fest at 10 a.m. Saturday. The Kids Parade, along with Lollypop the Clown and the Huntley High School Band will lead visitors throughout the park.
In addition to the headliners, the Fall Fest main stage will offer entertainment of a local flair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The day's schedule includes performances by the Huntley High School band, Sun City Mavericks Jazz Band, Rebecca McCarthy School of Dance performing Irish dancing, Sun City Prairie Voices, Sun City Hoofers tap dancing, Sun City Barbershop quartet, Dance Force Studio routines, and Sun City Concert Band.
For the younger set, fest organizers have planned games and family-style entertainment from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Rotary Children's Stage. The shows include Rock-It Productions musical fun, Huntley Park District dancers, Little Nashville, Kim's Black Belt Karate demonstrations, Mad Science interactive show, and Center Stage Dance Studio performances.
In addition to food vendors and beer gardens, Huntley Fall Fest delivers additional activities from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday including: the Gazebo Quilters quilt show, library book sale, fine arts display and antique appraisals in the recreation center gym. Also held that day will be a craft/home business show with 35 vendors, a tractor show, car show, petting zoo, pony rides, BAGGO tournament, rock-climbing wall, Rolling Thunder R/C Racing, and hay rides through the park. A fireworks display is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
Huntley Village Trustee Pam Fender was the original inspiration behind the Fall Fest three years ago. Fender said she always wanted Huntley to have its own community celebration for the sole purpose of bringing people together.
"As a trustee I would travel throughout the village, and I noticed people from different neighborhoods had certain attitudes about people in other parts of town," Fender said. "And I remember thinking if people could just get together and get to know one another, we could break down some of the barriers."
Fender said the festival has surpassed that goal.
"The Fall Fest is the result of a coalition of groups from our community," Fender said. "We have people from the Lions Club, the Jaycees, the Huntley Parks Foundation, the park district, the schools, and more all helping out."
Admission on Friday night is $5 for adults only. Admission on Saturday is $5 per person. Anyone small enough to be carried -or pushed in a stroller - through the gates is free. Organizers also are offering a $2 discount between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday to anyone bringing in a can good/ donation for the Grafton Township Food Pantry, or old cellular phones for the Verizon Wireless Hopeline, a program which strips cellular phones of stored personal information and then donates them to women's shelters for 911-only calls.
Half of the Fall Fest proceeds are saved for the next year's festival. The remainder funds are donated to various community groups. Proceeds from last year's event bought the $10,000 entertainment stage used for the summer concert series.
Organizers of this year's festival hope to donate proceeds to the Huntley Parks Foundation, Huntley Jaycees, the Friends of the Library, Boy Scouts, the Huntley Lacrosse team, Knights of Columbus, Lion's Club, Huntley cheerleading and pom squads, and Huntley Firefighters Union Local 4106 for Muscular Dystrophy.
Volunteers from all of these organizations are helping with various duties for this year's fest.
Free Grafton Township shuttle buses will run throughout the parking area on Saturday to shorten visitors' walk to the front gate. More information is available at www.huntleyfallfest.org.
Huntley Fall Fest
When: 4 to 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12; 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13
Where: Deicke Park, 11419 S. Route 47, Huntley
How much? $5 per person; adults only on Friday.
Info: www.huntleyfallfest.org