Horses, food and fun highlight Palatine Fall Festival
Pony rides, a petting zoo, horse-drawn wagon rides, make-and-take crafts, riding demonstrations and more will highlight the Palatine Park District's 17th annual Fall Festival on Saturday at Palatine Stables, 1510 W. Northwest Highway, in Palatine.
The event, which is from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., also will include a scarecrow contest, live entertainment, a pig roast, pumpkins for sale, a bounce house, and arts and crafts vendors.
Admission is free, but fees will apply for some activities, and dogs are not allowed. For a complete list of activities and hours, visit palatineparks.org.
The scarecrow contest takes place from 1 to 5 p.m. Upon check-in, participants will be given a scarecrow frame, a small burlap sack, and a bag of straw. Additional clothing and decorating items will be available as well, or decorations and clothing can be brought to the fest.
Preregistration with the $8 fee is suggested because a limited number of frames will be available for decorating. Registration at the event, if available, will be $10. A people's choice judging contest will be at 5 p.m.
The pig roast will be provided by Heybeck's Meat Market from 4 to 6 p.m. Dinner will include roasted pig, barbecue sauce, red potatoes, corn, dinner roll, drink and dessert. The cost is $15 per person in advance, or $18 per person at the event. Registration can be completed at palatineparks.org or at Community Center, Falcon Park Recreation Center, or Birchwood Recreation Center.
Live entertainment featuring top 40 country hits will be provided from 4 to 6 p.m., and a beer tent will be available from 3 to 6 p.m.
The arts and crafts vendor area will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring seasonal arts and crafts available for purchase. For more information or to request an application form, contact Michael Noens at (847) 496-6237 or mnoens@palatineparks.org.
For more information on the Fall Festival or Palatine Stables, contact Toni Bruns, stables manager/trainer, at (847) 359-0009 or tbruns@palatineparks.org.
In the event of inclement weather, most activities will be moved to the barns.
This year's Fall Festival has been made possible through partnerships with a variety of community businesses including the following gold level sponsors: AuPairCare; A+ Day School; CristalMe Rhinestone Apparel Inc.; Daily Herald Media Group; Drost, Gilbert, Andrew & Apicella, Inc.; GradePower Learning; Loving Care Animal Hospital; Lou Malnati's Pizzeria; Mathnasium; Premier Credit Union; and SportClips-Palatine.
Palatine Stables is a facility of the Palatine Park District providing training, lessons, and boarding services. The safety-oriented program focuses on all areas of horsemanship and the variety of well-trained school horses can accommodate all levels of riding. Lessons are offered from introductory through the advanced hunter-jumper levels. During the summer months, a variety of horsemanship and pony camps are offered, and Palatine Stables is also home to a Show Team.