River Grove families will have a chance once again to meet at the Gazebo to bond, play, enjoy good food and try to win some cash.
The village’s Family Picnic Day at the Gazebo is scheduled to take place from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. July 18 on Ditka Drive just south of Grand Avenue.
Jeanne Walsh, administrative assistant to the mayor, is leading the planning of the event and said this year’s event will be just as enjoyable as those in the past.
“I’ve worked here 13 years and I have attended them all,” he said. “Come early if you have young kids. There will be carnival games that are free and everyone wins a prize and then stay for the band.”
Music will provided in the evening by the group “8-Track” a band led by George Nottoli, owner of Nottoli and Son at 7652 W. Belmont Ave., who grew up in Elmwood Park. The band specializes in playing music from the 1970s.
“Everyone knows him and loves his music,” Walsh said.
For those who want to take a turn on stage, there will be karaoke and a DJ will be playing music when the family picnic begins.
There are two main attractions that participants look forward to is the picnic’s Lions Golf Ball Drop and 10th Annual Duck Race. For several weeks people have been purchasing tickets, hoping the duck with their matching number comes across the finish line first.
The Lions Golf Ball Drop event will begin at 4 p.m., involving participants buying numbered golf balls that are then dropped from a high crane onto a makeshift golf green with holes. The balls that go into the holes will determine the cash prize winners. Proceeds from the event go to help River Grove’s Lions Club perform service projects in the area.
At 5 p.m., hundreds of rubber ducks will be dropped into the Des Plaines River just north of Chestnut Street, where they will float down the river to the finish line on the south side of Grand Avenue. Monetary prizes will be awarded to those whose tickets match the numbers on the first, second and third ducks that cross the finish line. Walsh said proceeds from the event goes into a fund which will be used for a beautification project in the village.
Walsh said weather permitting, the event should be a success. In the past, around 400 people have attended the event.
“It’s a nice day to spend in town,” she said. “It’s nice to see people in town you don’t see often and it’s nice to see people coming back to town for this.”
The event’s rain date is August 1. For more information on the village’s Family Picnic Day or to purchase tickets for the Lions Golf Ball Drop or the Duck Race, call 708-453-8000.
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