You’d be hard-pressed to find an event more packed with things to do than the Yorktown Hometown Days Festival, which returns Sept. 1-4 to Beecher Community Park for its 29th year.
Hours are 4:30-7 p.m. Sept. 1; 5-10 p.m. Sept. 2; 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Sept. 3; and 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Sept. 4.
The four-day festival has carnival rides, live music, food vendors, and kids’ activities — as you might expect. But it’s also filled with daily community-oriented activities that offer something a bit different for festivalgoers.
“We pack our schedule full with ‘mini-events’ within the festival to give people different experiences and activities throughout the day,” said Shay Remus, superintendent of recreation at the Yorkville Parks and Recreation Department, which organizes the festival. “We also try to keep this festival affordable so that you can essentially come to the festival, not spend a dime, and still have a fun-filled day of entertainment.”
Some of those activities include scavenger hunts, trivia contests, bounce houses, a dog parade, a cutest baby contest, a car show, ax throwing, beer tasting, and mechanical bull riding, to name a few.
“I think what makes this festival unique is that it brings a variety of alternative activities — more than your standard carnival, band and beer,” Remus said. “We are always looking to create a full schedule of entertainment. We also try to consider other interests and activities that people of all ages within the Yorkville community would enjoy.”
The festival kicks off on a Thursday night with a barbecue dinner and a performance by Yorkville Big Band.
The carnival opens at 5 p.m. Friday, which also marks the start of the Ultimate Air Dog competition, an event that draws big crowds to watch dogs compete as they jump off a dock to catch a Frisbee before hitting a pool of water.
“It’s been a huge hit for us the last five years or so they’ve been attending,” Remus said. “They bring a lot of excitement and energy to the festival.”
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For live music, Tasha Layton will perform at 6:15 p.m. on the main stage, followed by Rhett Walker at 8 p.m. Both nationally touring musicians have had hits on the Christian music charts.
Saturday’s musicians include Little Mermen, a Disney cover band, from noon to 2 p.m. The Country Night, known for covering new country music and classic hits, will take the stage from 3 to 6 p.m. Fool House, a ’90s cover band, will perform from 7 to 10 p.m.
On Sunday, the Beatles tribute band American English hits the main stage from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by popular Chicago-area group Maggie Speaks from 2 to 4 p.m. The Boy Band Review, a group that covers boy bands from NSYNC to One Direction, will strut their stuff from 5 to 7 p.m., and the ’80s cover band Hi Infidelity will close the festival with its performance from 8 to 10 p.m.
Other festival highlights include a baby contest on Friday night, in which parents can bring their children under 18 months to compete in categories like craziest hair, chubbiest cheeks, biggest personality and greatest smile.
On Saturday, the Strut Your Mutt competition invites dog owners to show off their pets and compete in a variety of categories. Also Saturday, for the first time, is the Adult Date Night, an event targeted at couples, with activities including ax throwing, mechanical bull riding, a bags tournament, a ’90s trivia contest and craft-beer tasting.
“That’s new this year, and we’re really excited to bring it to the festival,” Remus said. “We wanted a way to get more adults involved to let loose and have fun.”
Sunday’s highlights include a classic car show, which includes music from a live DJ, and a homemade pinewood derby competition.
Remus expects between 20,000 and 25,000 people to attend the festival over the weekend, and she attributes the event’s success over the years to the long-standing community involvement.
“We would not have grown the way we have without their support,” she said. “We have several organizations who participate in the festival, including the Junior Women’s Club, which hosts the craft show, the public library, which does a used book fair, and the Boy Scouts, which organizes the rock climbing wall.
“We also see tremendous support from local businesses participating as vendors and sponsors,” she said. “We’re fortunate to have a community that comes together for this final ‘fest’ of the summer.”
One of her favorite parts of the festival is the kid-centered Music and Mingle on Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. It features a singalong to Disney’s musical hits and appearances from some well-known characters.
“It’s a unique experience to meet eight different characters, collect stickers and win a prize all while listening to a Disney cover band,” she said. “It’s truly magical when you see these kids light up. Not every child can go to Disney, so this is a way to bring some of the magic to Yorkville.”
Yorkville Hometown Days Festival
When: Sept. 1-4
Where: Beecher Community Park, 908 Game Farm Road, Yorkville
Admission: $2 after 3 p.m. Sept. 3 and 4; all other hours: free
Information: 630-553-4350; yorkville.il.us
Jeff Banowetz is a freelance reporter for the Beacon-News.