At summer’s halfway point, Wilmette area residents can celebrate the season by taking advantage of the 2017 Wilmette Summerfest and Sidewalk Sale, put on by the Wilmette/Kenilworth Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the village of Wilmette and the Wilmette Park District.
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This year’s event, set for July 21-23, begins Friday with sidewalk sales that run between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. across the village, in downtown Wilmette, along Ridge Road and at Plaza del Lago on Sheridan Road, said Chamber Executive Director Julie Yusim.
It continues Saturday with live music and entertainment acts on two stages in the village center starting with a children’s concert by Istvan and His Imaginary Band at 11 a.m. and continuing between noon and 5 p.m., with local bands and music groups, she said. The sidewalk sales will also run both Saturday and Sunday, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day, she said.
At 7 p.m. Saturday, the music starts up again on the Green at Village Hall, 1200 Wilmette Ave., with the Motown, soul, and rock sound of the Second Hand Soul Band, she said.
Families and children can enjoy carnival games set up in the downtown area, she said, and attendees can bring their own picnic dinner, dine at one of downtown Wilmette’s restaurants, or take advantage of the food trucks that are a new attraction for this year’s festival, Yusim said.
“This year we wanted to change it up a little,” she said. “Summerfest used to take place on Friday and Saturday, but we got requests from vendors to move many of the Friday events further into the weekend, so we’re doing that.”
Yusim said people at Summerfest can quench their thirst or salve their hunger pangs at trucks that will serve Hawaiian shaved ice, Korean street food, cupcakes, Mexican cuisine, and other offerings, she said.
On Sunday, another family attraction will begin at 11 a.m. with an interactive performance by The FrogLady, who will introduce participants to her reptiles and amphibians, Yusim said. Music starts up at noon and runs until 3 p.m., while the popular classic car show takes place in the Village Hall parking lot from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to information on the chamber website.
According to information from the chamber, Summerfest began in 2011, growing from a sidewalk sale into a community event with music, food vendors, and other attractions.
“This is a real team effort and represents probably the biggest and most active committee in the whole chamber,” Yusim said of Summerfest preparations. “It starts meeting in January and grows from there.”
To learn more about Summerfest, visit the chamber website at www.wilmettekenilworth.com.