Elburn Days returns with tractor pulls, live music and more

Elburn Days returns for its 95th year on Aug. 15-17. The three-day festival features live music, movie night, tractor pulls, mud volleyball, bingo, craft show, 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.

After Elburn Days, the Lions will spend thousands of dollars restoring the park. Any donations that they can use to offset these costs (reseeding the grass, etc.) so that the proceeds can go toward charity.

During certain hours of the festival, volunteers will be soliciting donations as you park or drop by the Leo Club’s root beer float stand at the main pavilion to make a donation. Suggested $5 parking donation per vehicle.

New this year — at the entrance to the park, they will be collecting nonperishable food items for the Elburn Lions food drive in lieu of cash donations.

Parade

The theme for this year’s Elburn Days parade will be “Treasure The Future. Act Today. The annual parade kicks off the three-day festival on Friday at 6 p.m. from the intersection of West 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.

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.

At 7 p.m. Friday, Bell Bottom Revival, a Lainey Wilson tribute band, and the Ultimate Tribute to Eric Church will be rocking the stage following the Elburn Days Parade.

On Saturday, The Wayouts will perform from 4 to 7 p.m., followed by the headliners The Ron Burgundy’s from 8 to 11 p.m.

On Sunday, the three-day festival will close out with Head Honchos from 3 to 5 p.m. and The Bare Hambones from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

There also will be music at the beer garden with 2 of Us from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, and Riplock from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday.

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, see the 2016 Disney film “Moana” at 8 p.m. Bring blankets or lawn chairs. Children must be accompanied by adults.

On Saturday, the Young Leos awards ceremony will be at 10 a.m. Hula Hoop Dance Party from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m. and “Moana” camp performance will be at 2:15 p.m. At 2:30 p.m., there will be a free dance class, perfect for ages 2-5. At 12:45 and 3:30 p.m., the dancers from M & M Dance will take the stage. At 3:15 p.m., there will be a “Wicked” stage performance.

On both days, the Kids Fun Zone will offer free games and activities from noon to 3 p.m. The Elburn Lions also will be offering free vision screenings for children. Look for the trailer near the Elburn Leos root bear float stand. All children who get screened will receive a free pair of sunglasses. Children, age 6 months to 18 years old, are eligible.

The local 4-H Clubs will be showing and auctioning their livestock again at the festival. The livestock show starts at 9 a.m. Saturday with the auction starting at 1 p.m. Sunday.

On Sunday, the community worship service will be at 9:30 a.m. with Elvis Gospel Music from Community Congregational Church. at 10:30 a.m.

At 10:45 p.m., veterans are invited for free coffee and doughnuts, sponsored by Dunkin’ Donuts in Elburn. At 1 p.m., there will be a “Frozen” 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. Hula Hoop Dance Party at 2:45 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 48th year starting at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Illini State Pullers class lineup may include: Super Stock 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.

Mud volleyball

Cheer on the six-person coed teams competing in mud volleyball starting at 10 a.m. Sunday. Team registration has ended. There will be awards to the first- and second- place teams.

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. Judging begins at 9:15 a.m. with the winners announced at 10:30 a.m. 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. There also will be giveaways.

Bingo

Try your luck at 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 2025-26 Chevy car or truck from Bob Jass Chevrolet in Elburn or $30,000 cash. Online car raffle tickets will be available through Thursday, Aug. 14, at 5 p.m. Tickets are available at the festival until they are sold out.

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.

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