Overcast skies greeted opening day of the 2026 Frankfort Fall Festival Saturday, offering some relief from the previous week’s oppressive heat that otherwise might have dampened spirits of folks celebrating the symbolic end to summer over Labor Day weekend.
The 58th annual fall fest returned to downtown Frankfort, offering live entertainment, carnival rides, food booths, crafters peddling their wares and Sunday’s parade.
Regulars like Dave and Karen Wiencek, of Orland Park, arrived early Saturday morning and hunkered down on Breidert Green to enjoy the full entertainment lineup. Their day began with the country sounds of the River Road Trio and continued with a set of classic rock, pop and disco covers by Bottomz Up.
The Wienceks usually spend two days at the fest and expected to return Monday.
“We like the music. We have lunch and make a day of it,” Dave Wiencek said, estimating they have come to the fest for about 15 years. “We like the crafts. We usually buy something.”
The craft show attracted more than 300 artisans displaying handmade items, artwork, home décor, clothing, jewelry and gifts throughout downtown Frankfort, including paintings, yard art, wood carvings, suncatchers, candles and caramel apples.
Vendors came from far and wide as well as close to home, including The Master Blasters, a Frankfort-based family business that sandblasts words and designs into rocks for occasions such as landscaping pieces and pet memorials, or just to have something with your name on it.
Festgoers dug through alphabetized bins of rocks, searching for their name to take home. Custom inscriptions could be accommodated, but off-site, noted owner Donna Muhr.
Any unusual requests?
“We’ve had some swear words,” said Muhr’s son, Kevin Muhr. “And one lady had a farm and had a name for every animal.”
Donna Muhr said she thought crowds were a little light Saturday, perhaps due to the cloudy skies that seemed to threaten rain but instead tempered the sun’s heat and brought some cool breezes.
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The arrival of more hospitable temperatures was a relief for first responders at the fest’s first aid station.
“It’s been very calm, a few folks with heat exhaustion and bee stings,” said Frankfort Fire Protection District Lt. Brian Adcock.
Any caveats about the weather didn’t appear to keep families away from the carnival, as parents and kids advanced from midway games and the carousel to more daring rides like the Ferris wheel and the Ring of Fire.
Alonte Holliday, of Plainfield, was at the fest for the first time with daughter Ayla, 3.
“It’s nice to get out and enjoy the community,” Holliday said as he and Ayla had a go at the Ring a Duck game. “We need more of that.”
The Fall Festival Food Court featured an array of cuisine served up by members of Frankfort’s civic and nonprofit organizations, with proceeds benefitting the groups. Hungry festgoers could choose from typical fair fare like hot dogs, pizza and funnel cakes as well as sandwiches, tacos, barbecue, smoothies, desserts and Italian ice. Folks grazed in the open or in the shadow of the Garden Stage, which that afternoon showcased the rock, pop, punk and blues sounds of The Handsome Jerks.
Saturday afternoon brought the final round of the sixth annual Enrico’s Spaghetti Eating Contest. Following two earlier rounds, the dozen competitive eaters left standing vied for bragging rights and prize money if they could down a whole pound of the beloved eatery’s spaghetti and marinara in four minutes.
After the sauce splattered and stomachs settled, it was Teddy DeLacruz, of Wood Dale, who came out on top of spaghetti and with $500 in his pocket. Rounding out the field were John Conrad, of Peotone, in second place, Dan Komer, of Joliet, in third and Zeno Moltini, of Arlington Heights, fourth.
The Frankfort Fall Festival continues through Monday in downtown Frankfort. More information is at www.frankfortchamber.com.
Jim Dudlicek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown