advertisement

Food, music and more at Vernon Hills' Summer Celebration festival

Vernon Hills is getting ready to kick off its annual Summer Celebration, which runs Thursday, July 19, through Sunday, July 22, and features tons of activities for people of all ages.

Summer Celebration has seen its share of changes over the years, even while maintaining its core features, such as the biggest beer tent in Lake County, national headlining musical acts and a carnival.

However, in the past few years, the committee has tried to include more free activities for families to enjoy. Starting in 2013, the event began to advertise its Sunday Family Fun Day with something for everyone - a bags tournament for the adults, a petting zoo and game show for the kids, and a car show the whole family can enjoy.

The volunteer-run Summer Celebration committee works year-round to secure local business sponsors, recruit nearly 100 volunteers who help run the event, and book the best-possible musicians and production crews to entertain Vernon Hills residents and visitors.

The committee partners with the Vernon Hills police department for security and patrols; the public works department for help with set up, teardown, and everything in between; and the Vernon Hills Park District, which maintains the grounds where the event is held.

The event begins Thursday and features local favorite Henneberry for musical entertainment. The show will start at 7 p.m. and they'll play until the annual Fireworks Spectacular lights up the sky.

On Friday, the grounds open at 6 p.m. and the fun continues with carnival wristband specials, food vendors - including some new food trucks - and some beer and wine options in the beer tent for the adults.

Crowd favorites Modern Day Romeos and Mike & Joe return to the stage at 7 p.m. and will perform rotating sets until 11 p.m.

Saturday will feature a car show in the parking lot behind the festival. The main grounds will open at 1 p.m. There will be carnival wristband specials and free crafts for the kids under the big tent, where they can make foam art, sand art and flip fops this year. Home Depot will be on-site to assist the little ones in creating something special to take home.

The day will feature two country acts: the James Barker Band at 7 p.m. and David Nail as the main headliner at 9 p.m. Nail is a well-known artist with hits like "Whatever She's Got," "Let It Rain," "Kiss You Tonight," "Red Light," "Nights on Fire" and more.

After the show, a DJ under the big tent will keep the party going.

Sunday is designated Family Fun Day. It opens at 1 p.m. for more kids crafts, face painting, a petting zoo and a game show. The day also includes the sixth annual Bags Tournament and wraps up with karaoke on the Big Stage.

Also returning is the Cream-The-Cop Fundraiser, where, for a $5 donation, kids and adults can "cream a cop" with a whipped cream pie. The money will be donated to a charity of the village's choosing. Last year, the event raised $1,500 for Angelman's Syndrome.

For more information, visit www.summercel.com.

  Festivalgoers enjoy the food area during a previous Vernon Hills Summer Celebration. The event features rides, food, games and music. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com, 2016
  For a $5 donation, festivalgoers can give members of the Vernon Hills police department a pie in the face at the Cream-a-Cop fundraiser at 4 p.m. July 22 at the Vernon Hills Summer Celebration. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com, 2017

Vernon Hills Summer Celebration

Events take place Thursday through Sunday, July 19-22, in Century Park, 1001 Lakeview Parkway, Vernon Hills.

THURSDAY

6-9 p.m. Bingo

6-10 p.m. Carnival

7:30 p.m. Henneberry

9 p.m. Introduction of the Vernon Hills Pageant queens

9:15 p.m. Fireworks

10 p.m. Grounds close

FRIDAY

6-10 p.m. Bingo

6-11 p.m. Carnival

7-11 p.m. Modern Day Romeos and Mike & Joe

11 p.m. DJ under the tent

Midnight Grounds close

SATURDAY

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Car & Bike Show

1-3 p.m. Kids Crafts

1-3 p.m. Face Painting

1-3 p.m. Balloon Animal Artist

1-11 p.m. Carnival

6-10 p.m. Bingo

7 p.m. James Barker Band

9 p.m. David Nail

11 p.m. DJ under the tent

Midnight Grounds close

SUNDAY

1-5 p.m. Kids crafts

1-5 p.m. Face painting

1-5 p.m. Balloon Animal Artist

1-5 p.m. Petting Zoo

1-5 p.m. Kids Gameshow and Fun

1-7 p.m. Carnival

2 p.m. Bags tournament (21 and older)

3-7 p.m. Bingo

4 p.m. Cream A Cop Fundraiser

5 p.m. Vernon Hills "Idol" Karaoke

7 p.m. Grounds close

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.