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Last Fling gets into full swing in downtown Naperville

Lily McCormick technically started school three weeks ago, but for this Naperville teen, summer isn't over.

It's not over until you've had one last funnel cake, enjoyed one last concert and made one last memory with your friends at Naperville's Last Fling over Labor Day weekend.

So Lily and her classmates made their way to the downtown Saturday for an end-of-summer festival where you can expect two things:

"Good food and good bands," she said.

The 51st annual Last Fling, organized by the Naperville Jaycees, got into full swing Saturday, with the food cooking up on Jackson Avenue and bands of the '90s taking the main stage at Rotary Hill.

Before alt-radio favorite the BoDeans headlined Saturday night, families packed Naper Settlement for pony rides, duck races, a petting zoo and a water balloon fight. That's where Angie and Ray Gunn began the day with their son.

By the afternoon, 4-year-old Kyle Gunn was still giggling on carnival rides along Jackson Avenue.

"It's a great place for young kids to have an end-of-summer experience," his mom said.

The summer send-off is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Jaycees, a club that donates the proceeds to local charities that fight hunger and homelessness, among other causes.

With that mission and "perfect" weather, there really are "no excuses" not to go, said Danielle Tufano, a Jaycees member.

"It is pretty crowded, which is a blessing to us," Tufano said Saturday. "We like to see lots of people coming out to have fun with us over Labor Day weekend."

The fun continues Sunday with the UFO North American Championships west of Centennial Beach, where spectators can cheer on disc-catching dogs in a show of canine athleticism that starts 9:30 a.m.

At the "Family Fun Land" at Naper Settlement, fans of Disney Channel's "Girl Meets World" can meet with star Corey Fogelmanis from 3 to 5 p.m.

And the Summerland Tour makes a stop at the festival Sunday night with headliner Sugar Ray, a band behind '90s pop hits "Fly" and "Every Morning."

For the full lineup, visit lastfling.org.

  Henry Kunzer, an 11-year-old from Naperville, enjoys a slice of pizza at the Last Fling downtown Saturday. Paul Michna/pmichna@dailyherald.com
  Daniel Brazell, 11, swings his battle ax at his friend Jack Bell, 7, both of Naperville, during the Last Fling Saturday. Paul Michna/pmichna@dailyherald.com
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