Libertyville Days' 'Pirates of the 'Ville' fest begins June 16

The summer season of events in Libertyville kicks off with the 2016 Libertyville Days festival theme, "Pirates of the 'Ville."

The four-day festival, runs Thursday, June 16, through Sunday, June 19, and features food, carnival rides, musical entertainment and a parade.

The popular parade kicks off at 10 a.m., Saturday, June 18, at the Libertyville Metra station. The parade route heads south on Milwaukee Avenue and ends at Rockland Road.

There will be a "Meet a Real Pirate" event from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, in Cook Park, where folks are encouraged to dress as a pirate for the parade.

Main stage musical entertainment includes Mighty Wheelhouse, Rollover with Louie Zagoras, 97Nine, Too Easy, Mellencougar, Sneezy, Wall of Denial and Hello Weekend. Also, new this year, there will be a musical showcase of talent from 1 to 7 p.m. on Friday, June 17.

Family friendly unlimited ride specials for children will be offered during select hours Thursday through Sunday.

Other attractions include: an arts and crafts fair, children's entertainment, food court filled with area vendors, beer garden and fun contests, all held in the heart of downtown, in and around Cook Park. There's also the Miss Libertyville Pageant, a children's party, root beer making demonstration, children's cookie bake, firemen's rib cook off, jalapeño pepper and hot dog eating contests, Cook Mansion Open House, baggo tournament, mini manis and hair braiding, youth stage for talented young bands, safety demonstrations, and more.

For a full list of events and times visit www.libertyvilledays.org.

Libertyville has hosted a festival since the early 1900s, when it was run by the Firemen's Association and later by the Libertyville Businessmen's Association. In the 1960s, local nonprofit groups, including the Libertyville Lions, Rotary Club, Knights of Columbus and Libertyville Junior Woman's Club took over the festival administration as a fundraiser. Eventually, these groups founded the Libertyville Civic Center Foundation, which operates the Libertyville Civic Center, a local meeting place for these groups' meetings and many others. The Libertyville Civic Center also provides a home for the Libertyville Senior Center.

The Libertyville Days Festival is now the annual fundraiser for the Libertyville Civic Center Foundation.

At its inception near the turn of the century, the festival had a carnival and parade, and it has enjoyed tremendous growth over the years to include many other attractions.

Members of local groups including the Libertyville Lions, Knights of Columbus, Junior Woman's Club and VFW volunteer at the festival, engaging in ticket sales and in serving drinks.

For information about the festival or the Libertyville Civic Center, visit www.libciviccenter.org or call Anne Carlino at (847) 918-8880.