Apart from watching fireworks, going on rides, listening to music and playing in the bags tournament, residents have one new thing to do at Vernon Hills annual Summer Celebration this year.
They can cream a cop.
It was the Vernon Hills Police Department’s idea, said Toni Pastorino, who grew up going to the festival and now helps run it as a volunteer.
To raise funds for the police department, visitors pay to get a plate of whipped cream and they slap it into the face of one of about five police officers, Pastorino said. “It’ll be just for fun,” she said, adding the police department is “pretty excited about it.” The event will be held Saturday afternoon, the third day of the festival, which runs July 14 to 17.
Alas, there will be no tilt-a-whirl this year, Pastorino’s favorite ride when she was growing up in Vernon Hills and attending the event. The tilt-a-whirl hasn’t been in the carnival rides lineup for years, she said.
But that’s no big loss when there’s so much else to do.
All four days will feature a carnival, music, food and entertainment, with special children’s activities Saturday and Sunday.
“As a little kid, I loved the carnival. We always had awesome fireworks and local music,” Pastorino said. “I grew up with the fest. It’s part of my DNA.”
It’s been an annual event for roughly 30 years, she said, and many of those years, her mother, Kathy Zerillo, also of Vernon Hills, helped run the event. Zerillo serves as the event’s chairwoman this year.
Fireworks will be held at dusk on opening day after Boy Band Review performs music from the 1990s and 2000s, she said.
The last two years they were slated to play and they got rained out, Pastorino said. “So this year, third time’s a charm.”
Friday, two cover bands will perform — Hello Weekend and Mike and Joe.
“Mike and Joe have been a staple for many years,” she said. “They’re wonderful to work with. They always bring a big crowd with them. They play music that everybody loves. We’re happy to have them back again this year.”
Saturday afternoon, besides attending the carnival, children can enjoy creating crafts they can bring home, getting their faces painted and watching a magician.
“It’s really great having the kids come in and be able to work with their hands and take home all the cool stuff they can make,” Pastorino said. Over the years, they’ve created suncatchers, decorated flip flops and made sand art, she said.
More Top Picks Under Sink Filter
“Saturday is our big headliner. We have Smash Mouth. They are a late ’90s, early 2000s rock band — they have a pretty famous song from ‘Shrek’ that most people know called, ‘I’m a Believer,'” she said, which older folks might recall was originally performed by the Monkees.
Sunday morning is the car and bike show, followed by an afternoon bags tournament for the adults and a petting zoo for the children, plus a high-energy game show. “It’s like a Jeopardy game and they do it for all different ages,” Pastorino said.
New this year, the Lincolnshire Dance Academy will perform Sunday afternoon. Kaleidoscope Eyes, a Beatles cover band, will perform Sunday as well.
Vendors will offer Asian fare, barbecue sandwiches, pizza, corn on the cob and other foods and beverages including beer.
“I think it’s nice that we have an event in the community that’s free and that it’s all run by volunteers,” said Pastorino.
“You don’t have to really pay for anything other than your rides and your food. The musical entertainment is always high quality. The car show is free. The bags tournament is free. It gives people a fun thing to do for an entire weekend, and there’s something for everybody. It’s a big draw for Lake County in general.
“It’s always about the people,” she added. “We stand up and look out over the crowd dancing and singing along to the music and everyone’s smiling and having a good time. We feel like that’s what it’s about, everybody coming together and enjoying the festival. I always feel really good about that. Our committee has become a family. We’ve been doing this together for years. It’s a well-oiled machine. We also have a lot of support from the village. We’re known for putting on a good event. It’s a lot of work and we take a lot of pride in it.”
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance writer.
Vernon Hills Summer Celebration
When: July 14-17
Where: Century Park, 1001 Lakeview Parkway, Vernon Hills
Tickets: Free
Information: 847-367-3700; summercel.com/#summer-cel