Yorkville resident Sarah Wallin always looks forward to Labor Day weekend when she can have some fun at the annual Hometown Days Festival in Yorkville.
“This is something I’ve been coming to at least five years,” she said Friday at the fest which runs through Sunday at Beecher Park in Yorkville. “We come for the carnival rides that the kids like.”
The celebration that organizers said would attract about 30,000 to 35,000 people over its four-day run includes many of the traditional favorites like carnival rides, a baby contest, bags tournament and a car show, as well as a big band performance and other musical entertainment and the popular Ultimate Air Dogs competition.
Shay Remus, superintendent of recreation for the Yorkville Parks and Recreation Department, said the event is now in its 32nd year and has varied from three to four days over the years.
She said the event continues as a way to bring the community together and is “a longstanding tradition here in Yorkville that’s held over the Labor Day weekend that everyone looks forward to.”
“I think for everyone with school starting, they’re just looking for that quick break just to have fun and see their community,” Remus said.
Popular attractions each year, she said, remain pretty much the same.
Carnival rides are just one of the attractions at the Hometown Days Festival in Yorkville, which runs through Sunday. (David Sharos/For The Beacon-News)
“Our bands – we really have a great variety of bands that come out and perform each year,” Remus said. “We try to do a combination of everyone’s favorites, who they want to come out and see every year as well as mixing in some of those new fresh sounds.
“Our carnival is always a huge hit,” according to Remus. “It’s our only festival throughout the year that provides a carnival, and it’s something people look forward to.”
Remus also highlighted the food that features local vendors as well as the Ultimate Air Dogs competition.
“The dog event is something that we see mentioned over and over on our Facebook page and it’s something people always want to come and see,” she said. “People will actually travel to come here and see that. I think the thing that makes us so unique is that we have such a full schedule of events for four days – it’s not just a band and food and a carnival.”
Tharen Pfister, of Yorkville, said she has been coming to the event at least 10 years and continues to come back “because of the bands and the food.”
“It’s something to do and this is definitely kid-friendly. There’s something for everybody,” she said. “There definitely is kind of a community reunion you see here each year. You always see people that you know.”
Gene Wilberg of Yorkville shows off a Yorkville-themed shirt Friday evening at the Hometown Days Festival in Yorkville. (David Sharos/For The Beacon-News)
Gene Wilberg said he has been living in Yorkville 12 years and was sporting a short-sleeved shirt with the word “Yorkville” displayed several times on it Friday at the fest.
“This shirt was designed by our mayor and at an event like this I get to wear it,” Wilberg said. “The thing I like about Yorkville Hometown Days is that it’s just the right size – not too big and not too small. We have great entertainment but at the same time, you can just come here and relax and have a good time.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
