Cycling, music at Elgin's FoxFireFest

A lineup of top-notch entertainment is scheduled for FoxFireFest, taking place from Aug. 1-3 at Festival Park, 132 S. Grove Ave., along the riverfront in downtown Elgin. FoxFireFest is the city of Elgin's premier special event for the summer, incorporating the 49th annual American Association of University Women's Fine Arts Fest along with a wide variety of musical performers, food vendors and children's activities throughout the weekend.

The festival will kick-off at 6 p.m. Friday with an opening performance by Elgin OPERA, followed by the main-stage performance by the award-winning Elgin Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. The evening will conclude with a brief pyrotechnic show along the river at approximately 9:30 p.m. Vendors on site will have a variety of food, beer and wine available for purchase. Families are encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chairs and enjoy the free concert.

The festival continues at noon Aug. 2 with live entertainment throughout the day. Main stage evening performances begin at 4 p.m. with a special appearance by pop-artist Thomas Ian Nicholas, featuring songs from his debut album, "Without Warning." Starship hits the main stage at 6 p.m., performing a variety of hits from the 1980s, followed by the featured performance by the New York-based blues-rock quartet Blues Traveler from 8 to 10:30 p.m. The evening will conclude with a brief pyrotechnic show on the riverfront.

Sunday morning activities will open with the Elgin Cycling Classic, a challenging new 1-kilometer course throughout the Lords Park area. Races will begin at 8 a.m. and the final race will begin at 4 p.m. In addition to several pro races, there will be races for men, women and children throughout the day. More than $12,000 in cash prizes will be awarded. Registration forms are available online at www.downtownelgin.org.

Festival Park will open at noon on Aug. 3, with another full day of art, music and food. Elevation will perform at 3:30 p.m. The festival performances will include the Elevation, a U-2 cover band, taking the stage at 3:30 p.m., closing Sunday evening with Sister Hazel performing from 5:30 p.m. with a show of alternative rock, folk and southern rock music.

FoxFireFest is made possible through the generous support from the Special Event Season Sponsors, Comcast, and the Daily Herald, as well as the FoxFireFest "Soft Candlelight" sponsors- Bank of America, Best Buy, City Beverage, Davey Tree Expert Co., Hitchcock Design Group, PanCor and Waste Management as well as numerous other individual contributing sponsors.

The event is free to the public. Free parking is available throughout all city-owned parking facilities. Shuttle service also will be provided to off-site parking on a limited basis at peak festival hours. For a complete schedule of events and information about the FoxFireFest weekend, check the city of Elgin Web site at www.cityofelgin.org/events.