Winfield gets ready to celebrate Good Old Days
Winfield’s annual farewell to summer returns this weekend with food, games, live music and “good, old-fashioned fun.”
The Good Old Days festival kicks off at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, and continues through Sunday, Sept. 8, at the intersection of Beecher Avenue and Church Street in the village’s downtown.
Thousands of people are expected to attend the four-day festival, according to Tony Reyes, co-chairman of the Good Old Days committee.
“It’s a gathering of friends and neighbors to end summer and begin the fall,” he said.
The opening event will be 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday when the St. John’s Knights of Columbus hosts its scholarship fundraiser dinner. Roasted sliced beef and salads will be served during the dinner in the Lions Club’s beer tent. Tickets cost $25 at the door.
At 7 p.m. Thursday, Perfect Strangers will be the first band to perform at the beer tent’s entertainment stage.
Other musical acts scheduled to take the stage during the festival are Elvis tribute artist Rick Saucedo at 5 p.m. Friday, Rockstar Rodeo at 8 p.m. Friday, RockLuster at 5 p.m. Saturday and Rob Russo and The Loose Screws at 8 p.m. Saturday.
There also will be a celebrity look alike contest from 7 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Lions Club entertainment stage.
Starting at 4 p.m. Friday, the St. John’s Knights of Columbus food court will open for the weekend. The menu includes hamburgers, pork chops, corn dogs, funnel cakes, pop and water.
To help promote local businesses, a business expo is open 5 p.m. to dusk Friday, 1 p.m. to dusk Saturday and 12:30 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Meanwhile, the Winfield Junior Woman’s Club is hosting a health fair from noon to 4 p.m. at Creekside Park.
Unlike last year, there won’t be a carnival. But there will be plenty of free activities for children.
“There’s going to be a lot of good, old-fashioned fun,” Reyes said. “It’s a throwback to the way it used to be.”
A “kids fun zone” will run from 4 p.m. to dark Friday, noon to dark Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Saturday’s list of activities includes a coin carnival from 1 to 3 p.m. at Creekside Park, a cake pop-eating contest at 1 p.m., a meatball-eating contest at 2 p.m. and a teen street dance at 7:30 p.m.
In addition, the Winfield Historical Society is hosting old-fashioned games from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday along Church Street.
A festival favorite, the 20th annual duck race is planned for 10 a.m. Sunday at Lions Park. Hundreds of yellow plastic ducks will be dumped into the DuPage River to slowly float toward the finish line. Numbered ducks pulled from the water will earn prizes for the people who sponsored them.
For anyone wanting to watch Sunday’s Chicago Bears game, it will be shown at noon on a big screen in the beer tent.
The Good Old Days parade steps off at 1 p.m. Sunday from Sunnyside Avenue and Church Street.
About 40 parade entries will travel north on Church to the intersection of Church and Beecher. The procession will include firetrucks, floats, Scout troops and the West Chicago Community High School marching band.
Chuck and Lee Beggs, who helped create the Winfield Park District 35 years ago, will be the parade grand marshals. There also will be an appearance by Ronald McDonald.
“Our parade is about community and having fun,” said Monica Rundell of the Winfield Junior Woman’s Club, which organizes the parade. “It’s always very well attended.”
If you go
What: Good Old Days
When: 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5; 4 to 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6; 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9
Where: Beecher Avenue and Church Street, Winfield
Info:<a href="https://www.facebook.com/WinfieldGoodOldDays">facebook.com/WinfieldGoodOldDays</a> or (630) 231-3003