Frankfort Fall Fest draws artists, musicians and visitors from all over
The Chamber of Commerce in south suburban Frankfort hosts one of the top Labor Day festivals in the Chicago metropolitan area, drawing about 250,000 visitors annually into a community of 19,000 residents, according to Pauline Modjeski, executive director of the Chamber.
The Fall Festival has been a communitywide event since 1935, focused on bringing people together and funding civic projects. During the 1970s a juried craft fair was added and by 2004 it was attracting 300 crafters from 36 states and Canada.
This year's Frankfort Fall Festival will include carnival rides from Aug. 31 through Sept. 5, a food court, live entertainment (free at one stage and admission-based at another beginning on Friday), a three-day award-winning craft fair (Saturday through Monday); and a parade featuring about 80 businesses/community organizations at 1 p.m. on Sunday, according to Modjeski.
She added that the Frankfort Fall Festival Arts and Crafts Fair was recently named the 20th best arts and crafts fair in the country by "Sunshine Artist" magazine.
The Fall Festival Food Court is provided by local nonprofit groups that pair with experienced food providers (like local restaurateurs) to feed the hungry crowds. Bottled water and soft drinks are also sold by various nonprofits.
Other youth and charitable groups like Boy Scout troops and Operation Playground earn funds by running local parking lots.
"This is the largest fundraiser of the year for not only the Frankfort Chamber, but also for other area nonprofits and it takes between 250 and 300 adult and teen volunteers to run it," she continued. "Many of our volunteers have helped out since they were teens and they are still helping as adults. They look forward to it every year."
Major sponsors of the annual Labor Day weekend event include Gerald Honda and Toyota of Matteson and RJ Graham Plumbing.
"The Frankfort Fall Festival is an event that the whole community looks forward to every year. We are so honored to be able to help keep this tradition alive." Donna Lawler, Vice President of the Gerald Auto Group.
For more information about the Frankfort Fall Festival, check out www.frankfortchamber.com/2022-frankfort-fall-festival. For more information on Gerald Cares, visit www.geraldcares.com.