Head out to a fall festival this Saturday
Several fall festivals set for this weekend in the Fox Valley offer a variety of ways to welcome the new season. Each festival has a different focus - history, healthy lifestyles or family activities.
Autumn Fair
When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20
Where: Peck Farm Park, 4038 Kaneville Road, Geneva
Info: www.genevaparks.org
There's plenty to do at the Geneva Park District Foundation's annual Autumn Fair. Visitors can enjoy pony rides, family activities, children's games, crafts, a birds of prey exhibit, and musical entertainment.
Attendees can mingle with animals in a petting zoo, and take a hayride around the prairie. They can explore the observation silo, connect with nature at the award-winning Hawks Hollow Nature Playground, and experience hundreds of butterflies in the Butterfly House.
Test your luck at winning a variety of awesome prizes in the Basket Raffle: $5 basket raffle tickets are now available for purchase at Sunset Community Center, Peck Farm Park Interpretive Center and the Stephen D. Persinger Recreation Center. Winners will be announced at Autumn Fair.
"This popular event is a great kickoff to fall, providing an afternoon of affordable entertainment for all ages. It is a great way to celebrate Geneva's parks, and the beautiful fall season at Peck Farm." said Sheavoun Lambillotte, executive director of the Geneva Park District and Secretary of the Geneva Park District Foundation.
Admission to this event is free, with minimal fees for some activities, food and beverages.
Prairie Fest
When: 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20
Where: Historic Corron Farm, 7N761 Corron Road, Campton Township
Info: www.camptowntownship.com
At Campton Township's eighth annual Prairie Fest, Open Space volunteers and staff will take guests on hay wagon tours of the prairie and oak savanna. History buffs can take a tour of the 1850s brick Greek Revival home, built by Robert C. Corron, one of the earliest settlers in Campton Township.
There will be a children's corner with scavenger hunts and games. Honey from bees at Corron Farm and fundraising items will be available for sale, and there will be live musical entertainment throughout the day. Admission, tours and refreshments are free.
The Corron Farm Preservation Society will hold a 50/50 raffle to raise funds for rehabilitation of the 1870s-era dairy barn. A pig roast held in June raised about $10,000 through donations, a live auction, and meal ticket sales. The society has completed the repair of six 1920s-era brick pillars in front of the historic home on Corron Road and has begun the first stage of the dairy barn's rehabilitation.
Volunteers from the society are working to inventory household items and memorabilia. There are many books, letters, and documents dating back to as early as 1830.
The society recently received a grant from the Thornapple Questers of St. Charles to archive letters, postcards, and other printed matter. Lucinda (Cindy) Corron paved the way for volunteers in her tireless efforts to document her family histories (Muirhead, Beith, Richmond, and Corron).
The Corron family correspondence collection includes letters from the Amick family, who were cousins of the Corron family. Hiram Amick was employed by the Chicago Fire Department at the time of the "Great Fire" of 1871. His first letter after the fire states, "It's awful." His brother, Myron Amick, was a famed Civil War Scout, and the collection includes many letters from camp.
Outdoor Fest
When: 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20
Where: Fel-Pro RRR Conservation Area, 1520 Crystal Lake Road, Cary
Info: www.mccdistrict.org
Active lifestyles are the focus of McHenry County Conservation District's "Outdoor Fest! - A Celebration of Green Healthy Living."
Come out for a pickup game of basketball or bags; take a disc golf lesson or a fly fishing clinic; search out a geocache or two; and stay for the food and enjoy live music. Visit with exhibitors and vendors for the latest in outdoor recreation equipment, and learn about ways to live a more environmentally-friendly life.
Kick off your festival experience early with a 1-mile Fun-Run at 2:30 p.m. on the shady, paved trail over gently rolling terrain. Get a boost of energy for the rest of the afternoon, enjoy the scenery, and take a peek at the vendor displays. All fun runners will receive a gift for participating in this healthy lifestyle activity.
Registration and check-in opens at 1:45 p.m. All ages are welcome; youths age 13 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Preregistration is recommended; call Prairieview Education Center at (815) 479-5779.
The music stage will feature local musicians Jeff Trudell from 3 to 4:30 p.m. playing acoustic rock favorites and headliner Miles Over Mountains with bluegrass from 5 to 7 p.m.
Food and beverages will be provided by MJ's Coffee Bar of McHenry.
Do a green thing and donate your old bikes, parts and accessories - in any condition - in the Bike Drive. Working Bikes is a not-for-profit that donates 6,000 used bicycles each year to humanitarian organizations around the world. All donations are tax-deductible. For more information, visit www.workingbikes.org or call (773) 847-5440.
Primrose Farm Frolic
When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21
Where: Primrose Farm Park, 5N726 Crane Road, St. Charles
Info: www.primrosefarmpark.com
Pumpkin painting, horse-drawn hayrides and make-your-own caramel apples are just a few of the highlights of the annual Primrose Farm Frolic, offered by the St. Charles Park District.
Additional activities include: face painting, corn cannon, a BB gun range, archery, storytelling, barn building, art and craft projects, a petting zoo, pony rides, old-fashioned games, pick-your-own pumpkin patch, livestock showcase and a straw maze.
The farm's 1930s-era farm buildings will be open for self-guided tours. Displays will include antique farm equipment and blacksmithing.
Brave visitors can get a sneak peek at the Kane County Scaregrounds 3D Haunted House, presented by the Steel Beam Theatre.
Refreshments will be available for purchase. Admission is $8 for ages 12 and older, $4 for ages 2 to 11, and free for children younger than 2.