Turnout is small without village

The Algonquin Fall Festival never was a huge draw, but the lack of participation from the village made this year's attendance drop to a new low.

Instead of the few dozen residents who came to Towne Park for past Fall Fests, this year's event, held in a municipal lot on South Harrison Street, saw a small trickle of visitors, with attendance in the single digits at times.

The biggest draw Saturday were the young girls from the Rebecca McCarthy School of Dance in Algonquin. The dancers, with black dresses, high socks and tightly permed curls, tapped their clogs against the asphalt of the parking lot to the strains of Irish folk music.

Edwin and Teresa Walsh came over to see what all the commotion was after eating breakfast next door at Reese's Restaurant, where they've started their day for 25 years.

"It's pretty cool. It's awesome that they're so organized. They must have spent a lot of time practicing. It's good to see youth in an organization like this," Edwin Walsh said as he watched the Irish dancers.

Mike Leffel came all the way from Crystal Lake to attend the Fall Fest; his daughter was one of the dancers.

"I love watching them, especially the hard-shoe stuff," Leffel said. "They enjoy it no matter where they go."

The Downtown Algonquin Partnership merchants' association decided to bring the Fall Fest back this year after the Village of Algonquin dropped out.

"It was so much nicer when the village did the big thing downtown," said Alan Howard or the River Art Studio and Gallery, a member of the Downtown Partnership. "But at least people came."

Gloria Johnson of Glorious Blooms in East Dundee was one of a handful of vendors who set out their stalls in the parking lot to sell fresh produce and crafts.

"It's a nice little get-together," Johnson said. "I'm afraid the weather might have deterred people."

It was a pleasant but overcast fall day.

Howard said he was pleased with how the festival turned out, considering the Downtown Partnership had only a few weeks to prepare.

"Considering that it was last-minute, I think it went real well," Howard said. "If the village isn't going to do it again, it gives us a year to (make it better)."