So much fun, unforgettable memories with family, there is music and many food trunks.read more

The Lights Fest is an annual gathering where a bunch of people light up paper lanterns into the…read moresky. The Lights Fest Chicago is ironically located in Wisconsin, as you do need an open field to launch a bunch of lanterns safely; you can't just light em up in the city itself. But it's in Twin Lakes, which is only about an hour away. The place/venue may vary from year-to-year, so check http://www.thelightsfest.com for specifics. This review is specifically for the fest in 2018 at Twin Lakes. Parking starts at 3pm and closes around 6. When you arrive, staffers direct you on where to park in the grassy field. Poor grass, all trampled on. Once you are parked, please take note where you parked, as after the event, we've seen numerous people trying to set off their car alarms as a way of remembering where their car's at. Once parked, there's really only one direction to go. Go to one of the check-in booths and grab a lantern kit and marker. Check-in was easy-peasy. Then, find a spot and make yourself cozy. Definitely bring some foldable chairs, but if you forgot yours, the Lights Fest sells one of those inflatable couches, which aren't the most comfortable things, but is cozier than sitting on the grass. While waiting for sunset, to launch the lanterns, several bands take the stage playing some decent music. There's also several food trucks, including Mexican, bbq, pizza, and a dessert booth. After the bands play, they'll make an announcement that its about showtime. They do a demostration of how the lanterns work on stage. Even though on opposite ends of the stage there are projection screens, they did not display the demo on said screens. Instead, you can somewhat make out what they are saying and demonstrating. There are tiki torches lined up, I would estimate, every 30-feet or so. With this year's crowd, I would say there were plenty of torches for people. Maybe 3-4 people per torch, which isn't too bad. The thing is, lighting your lantern takes about 10-15seconds... not too long. But here's the thing; after an evening of waiting for this moment, 10-15seconds to light your lantern is a big deal. After an entire evening of the MC warning us to not light our lanterns yet, and that releasing the lanterns at the same time will be "worth the wait", it's pretty anti-climatic when the MC told us it was time to light the lanterns. And then in less than 20-seconds of announcing that, the MC says, "OK! Time to release your lantern in 5..4..3.." Umm, I still have 2 other people struggling/trying to light their lantern, in which lanterns are already releasing. Music is played in the background as the lanterns were released, which was pretty cool. Pro-tip: It's probably best to have someone hold the top of the lantern while you're trying to light the cardboard that is located at the bottom/base of it, as I tried to do it myself and I guess I didn't hold the lantern completely straight, and the flame burned a hole on the side of my lantern. Release... and plop. It floated less than 4 feet away from me. How sad. After that, a mad dash to the parking lot. With over 100 cars funneling through an exit that fits one car at a time, it took over 45-minutes for us to get out of the parking lot. Rows of cars lined-up and we just slowly killed the grassy field with our cars bellowing carbon monoxide. Left the event at 7:50PM, didn't get out of the parking lot until well past 8:30PM. Will I go again? Not sure. I think it would have been a lot more fun if you go with a large group of friends and know how the lanterns work. More than half the time I spent alone because either I was waiting for the bathroom or waiting 45-minutes on a slow moving food truck line. I just felt it was a lot of waiting, just for a 5-minute "climatic" event. It reminds me of puberty and high school XD I get waiting before is part of the fun, but waiting to get out of the parking lot was the killer of the event. Not sure really if there's much that can be done. I know this venue also hosts "Country Thunder" and other events... curious to know how they go. But that's not the scope of the review. BATHROOM REVIEW: Plenty of port-a-pottie are lined-up at the opposite end of the entrance/exit. There are several hand washing stations outside of the port-a-potties. Sit or squat? Dude, its a port-a-potty. Squat.

I don't really care for county fairs that much. But this place was nice. It's ran by the 4H I…read morebelieve. The main problem I have with this fair is that they have a pie auction here. And when I hear pie auction I think of an auction of pies. But what did they have? It was a damn auction of gift baskets, normally I wouldn't care that much, but I like pie. But in the gift baskets auction they did auction off half a pig processed how you like it. And I wished I had enough money to buy half a pig processed how ever i want it. The pigs weight alive was 240, so half of that is 120, minus shit you can't eat so it's like 80-100 pounds of pig. And that was really sweet. There is also a lot of animals for you to look at like, rabbits, horses, dairy cows, meat cows, meat pigs, lambs, and meat lambs. It can be a bit strange looking at an animal that you may eat one day. But not really, because those animals are punk ass bitches, and they have it coming. They also have a livestock auction which I missed, but I would like to go to that to buy an animal, then give it the thumbs down. Then eat it. But the Kenosha County Fair is a good time that's fairly cheap as well. It would have had five stars, if my heart wasn't broken over a gift basket auction in pie auction clothing.

The venue is too small for this festival. Also not very well thought out. Because people are either…read moreso ignorant or stupid. No walking aisles left open to and from ports potties. It wouldn't be a big deal to rope off some paths. Probably won't go back, but I won't be missed on the mosh pit.

The city of Crystal Lake's biggest fest on the grounds of the Dole Mansion - 50,000 people come…read morethrough here. Parking can be limited but is in walking distance from many area homes. Basically its a festive carnival/local foods extravaganza, with beer and local area businesses supporting and operating the event. They feature live music, contests and weekend fireworks (July 3, 2011 this year). Very fun way to check out Crystal Lake. Also its across the street from the main public beach, so make a day of it with the family! There is another site for this too, at http://www.myspace.com/lakesidefest

What an absolute blast. The local Lions Club event is excellent…read more There is something for everyone. A children's bounce house and large play area. There is also another play ground as well. There are bands playing and adult beverages - it is Wisconsin... The food is good and the prices are reasonable. It is for a good cause. Williams Bay is beautiful. Stay at the Chippewa and make it a weekend.

The Williams Bay Lions Club sponsors this annual event, which takes place over three days in…read moremid-August in Edgewater Park. If you want to eat a seemingly unlimited supply of corn on the cob and brats, you're in luck. You can also enjoy hot dogs and hamburgers, as well as a seemingly endless flow of Miller Lite. The corn and brats this year were very tasty. The corn got especially rave reviews from dozens of my extended family members. I think the real winner here is the bake sale, where homemade baked goods (brownies, cookies, pies, etc.) abound. Everyone can enjoy the live entertainment, and there is a playground and other activities for the kids.

My husband and I love Septemberfest! It's one of the most well-run festivals in the area. The best…read morepart is that parking is free and super simple. You park at one of the high schools, and the shuttle will transport you to the festival. Shuttles run so frequently that every time I've gone I've never had to wait for one. The festival also has free admission! The only thing you have to pay for is food, drinks, and games. The concerts are also free to listen to. We come here every year and it's definitely worth the trip. The food options change every year, and we haven't been disappointed yet. Everything is delicious and we get try different cuisines without committing to going to the restaurant.

Returned to Septemberfest 2025. Added more photos. Food tent had more vendors selling food. All the…read morefood was delicious. Ride area was expanded with more rides.

Date of visit: August 5, 2023…read more This was my first visit to a county fair! Despite visiting the state fairs in both Wisconsin and Minnesota, I had yet to visit a state fair. While it had many of the things that the state fair has (rides, carnival games, food kiosks), there was far less to see and do and the $9 admission seemed pretty high for what they had to offer. Definitely do a lap around before settling on any food or drink, the prices are NOT all the same! You save a fair amount of money on things like lemonade if you scope out all the vendors before making a selection. We were impressed at the massive train display in one of the buildings; the two trains on the tracks were heading in opposite directions around a detailed townscape featuring a variety of businesses and homes, definitely make this a stop during your visit, even if just to watch it for a minute or two. Staff were friendly throughout the fair, from those assisting with parking to the ticket takers and other various employees we encountered on the grounds. It's possible that I am just too much of a state fair guy to get on board with the smaller county fairs. Or maybe McHenry county's fair is a bit underwhelming. Or both!

We always enjoy the McHenry County fair. We love seeing all the different animals especially the…read morevery interesting chickens. My friend has a corn dog and I get a funnel cake love seeing all the vegetables that people have grown. It's just an interesting time.

I needed to drive to Crystal Lake to pick up some items I'd…read morepurchased from Mum. I found out that the day I was driving up is the same day the Johnny Appleseed Festival was happening, which filled me with dread since I figured it would be hard to find a spot. Luckily I found a spot with relative ease just across the block from the store. Since I was in town and found an actual space (instead of leaving my flashers on or calling the store to bring it out) I decided I had to give the festival a walk through. I love festivals. I love the quirky festivals and events that small towns and small cities come up with, and the love some of the little traditions that they maintain over time. Having said all that, the Johnny Appleseed Festival was a bit disappointing. As another reviewer mentioned, there's hardly any "apple" found at the festival to go along with this theme, though there is a Johnny Appleseed wandering around. He told his story to those gathered at the Crystal Lake Public Library area outside Raue Center a few times today. Other than that there wasn't much of interest to me. I wandered along Williams Street and went into a couple shops I've been curious about when I've been here before. I walked to the town square, where there was a band playing and a few food booths (four or five) set up, as well as a farm stand that had the only apples to be found. That stand also had apple cider donuts, but they were only sold by the half dozen so I don't want to buy any. I did stop at the Knights of Columbus booth to get some food, and it wasn't bad. There were some craft booths on the other side of the gazebo in the Metra parking lot, but since I didn't see much in the first few booths (nor did I want to spend money) I didn't walk down there too much. On the oppose side, near the intersection of Williams and Brink Streets, were a variety of activities for kids. Would I return again? Definitely, if I had kids. Alone I'm not sure, but I'm glad I can say I went. It's a nice free event and I think if I was looking for something to do there it could be fun. And I like that the theme is something besides just apples, though I do wish there was a greater emphasis on that fruit (no apple butter, applesauce, apple pie... what about an apple pie bake-off, or a pie eating contest??). I'm not sure if they keep it small on purpose or whether competing with the Long Grove Apple Festival keeps it from being wall to wall people (which I appreciate!!). My favorite part was the scarecrows and other creatures that decorated the streets, as part of a contest the city does for businesses that enter. Some of them were super artistic, some were funny, some were a little too true to life (like the one asking if you need marriage counseling!), and even the attorney's office got in on the fun. There was Granny Smith, the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz, and even the Sanderson Sisters, who I didn't even recognize until I was adding their photo to this review. Reply fun to see what the businesses in town come up with!

I'm a person who pretty much despises any season that involves mildly chilly to cold temperatures…read more Give me sun. Give me heat. Viva la sweaty girl mustache. Unfortunately, I live in a place where those things can really only be embraced for like 3 months out of the year... if I'm lucky. The rest of the 9 months left in the year I live a pretty miserly life, holed up in my homestead and complaining about everything and anything I can get my hands on to complain about because I'm mad at myself for not finding the motivation to move before the weather turned cold again... with the exception of one day.... I can handle exactly one perfect fall day. For one brisk but sunny Autumn day, I can trick myself into thinking fall is a magical time of year. Colors, pumpkins, slightly less road construction... and then as quickly as the feeling came, it always withers away come the passing of 24-hours where wearing socks is no longer seasonally optional. Cold toes = Crabby Candi. So this year, my one day of embracing fall coincided swimmingly with Crystal Lake's Annual Johnny Appleseed Fall Festival. I got up, I suited up in my cuffed jeans, thicker socks, boots, a tee + a flannel, and I packed a light jacket, too, just in case. The sun was shining and I knew it was my day. ... until I left my perpetually cold apartment and realized that it was actually a freak fall day where it was actually going to be 88-degress outside and I was going to be sweating bullets through my underoos. Well shiiiiiiiit. Ah well, I might never be able to get the heavy sweat stink out of the clothes I was wearing, but I'll take and unseasonably warm day over the alternative every time. We drove out to this fest and at first glance, it looked pretty lame. Kinda like just a bunch of craft tents in an empty parking lot... but we don't live anywhere near here and I wasn't turning back now. We parked in a large lot for festival-goers (which was free) and walked over. A few of the craft tents were selling the same kind of typical hometown craft stuff, but there were definitely some cool unique ones, like a vendor who makes guitars out of fancy old cigar boxes and a merchant that makes awesome painted jewelry organizers out of wood planks (I def bought a fox one). We circled through the craft tent pretty quickly and decided that since we'd already come so far, we might as well check out downtown Crystal Lake as well. Upon wandering just a block up to the main downtown drag, we discovered that festival was a lot bigger than we'd initially thought. The whole town is involved and while you don't have to walk more than 2.5 blocks to see the whole thing, it was a fun scavenger hunt. The food area takes place in a park just off the main drag and has a bunch of tables and chairs, an area band playing music near the gazebo, and local vendors selling fall foods. We got a b*tchin' lentil vegan sloppy joe the Duke's Alehouse tent. There's another big area designated for the fest with little carnival rides and the saddest pony rides ever. I have to give that attraction 0 stars because it was depressing and looked hella cruel. A bunch of mini ponies at the end of big metal turnstile all face to ass with no food or water. It was actually really terrible to see and part of me wants downgrade the whole fest for thinking that kind of thing is okay, but something tells me they probably got that already based on the fact that every ride/attraction had a line except that one, which was empty every time we passed. The ride area also had your usually giant slide and bouncy house things as well. If you're into that sort of thing. There's a hella authentic looking older gentleman who dresses as Johnny Appleseed (a character I really know nothing about and am frankly too lazy to Google) that you can take pics with. Kids loved him, I kind of loved him. He was like a friendlier, white-haired, Ron Swanson and Santa Klaus blend. Throughout the fest they have super creative scarecrows on display, all put together with a theme from a local business. My favorite was the one by the antique mall that was of a scarecrow kid crying into it's Dad's hip, and the the Dad holding a sign about the mom going missing... last seen entering the antique mall for just.one.thing... which is the ultimate women's lie. Beside the sad animal stuff, the festival was a really great fall festival for families. Not too big, not too small, tons of activities scheduled throughout the day and lots of local shops get in on the fun as well. If I'm having my good cold-weather day again in 49 weeks when the next one happens, I'd totally come back.

Waited in line for food for 30 minutes only to be told, they only except cash or Venmo what are we…read moredrug dealers? Left it don't need it not coming back again

This was really a lot of fun. We got to hear two bands - the first "Wedding Band", was a pretty…read moregood cover band. They all wore t-shirt tuxedos (a little tacky), but their music was good. At 10 pm the headliner came out - they were called the "Cherry Poppin' Daddies" out of Oregon somewhere. The name put us off a little (no- a lot). Their music was what I would call "suggestive" but their style could be classified as swing. This was not what a Saturday night crowd of several thousands wanted to hear. Not sure why Palatine chose them and not a rock band. Needless to say, a lot of people left during their performance. Now, the festival itself was great - Palatine festivals always get a great turn out. There were the regular information booths from insurers, politicians and window replacement companies. The food tents represented the best of Palatine - I had Pad Thai from Siri Thai and a hamburger from Heybeck's. Both were outstanding. Finally, the beer garden was packed. We set up chairs by the stage, but trans-versed the crowds to get beer several times. All I can say is there was no way to get to the beer tent easily. Oh, it was a straight shot. But there were so many people and the music was so loud, in many cases you had to push your way through. The craziest thing was the way they cordoned off the beer garden. The main entry was about a 30 foot long metal plank on the south of the area. There was one other entry point to the east. The porta- potties were set up to the northwest of the beer garden which I think makes sense. But, there was no entry between the two. In order to go from one section to the other, you had to leave the beer garden from either the south or the east, then walk all of the way around until you got there. It was not convenient. But, overall, it was a really good street fest which I will definitely go to again next years. My hope is that the people who put it together take these two points into consideration. If they corrected these, it would be a 5 star experience.

I'm about to tell you a secret.....Harvard Milk Days…read more About an hour and a half, maybe two hours, north west of Chicago close to the Wisconsin state line, you'll find a small town called Harvard. Every year in late spring/early summer the entire town celebrates what is known as Harvard Milk Days. It started off in 1942 as a small celebration honoring dairy farmers but today has grown into a month of festivities, contests, and celebrations. It is the longest running festival in Illinois. The milk, the dairy industry's contribution and tradition continue to be the foundation for the festival. The festivities and contests include Antique Tractor Show, Bed Races (a must see!), Car and Bike Show, Prince and Princess Contest, Harvard Milk Day Queen Contest, Milk Run/Walk, Outdoor Grilling Competition, Carnival and more! One of the events that I didn't mention yet is the Milk Days Parade. The parade always takes place on the first Saturday in June rain or shine. The parade route is painted white---to symbolize milk, of course! The parade brings hundreds of thousands of people from all over to town. It's great for a wide range of ages. The children love seeing how much candy they can collect, the teens enjoy the freedom from their parents as they walk along the parade route and the adults enjoy the many parties and boozing. If you're looking for a small road trip to take this summer, this has got to be it! Even if you're not from Harvard, just show up during the first weekend in June...the people of this town will welcome you with open arms, plenty of kegs and will not let you leave disappointed! For all the other events I listed check out the website for info on registration and dates. http://www.milkdays.com/index.htm And of course, if you decide it's for you, let me know!

Ahhh Milk Days. Just the only real tradition Harvard has ever had. If you have EVER lived in…read moreHarvard, you know all too much about this fabulous tradition. Through the years, Milk Days has gone from me being a child and LOVING the parade, so I can collect as much candy as possibly, and then hitting up the carnival! To my pre-teen years of absolutely needing a wristband for the friday night zipper rides, to my late teens and current, of partying my ass off! During the first weekend of June, you can expect hundreds of thousands of people to come through town, literally hundreds of house parties, and dozens upon dozens of friendly faces. Milk Days is AMAZING! Milk Days is the longest running festival in Illinois.. and... ah, well, just check out the web page... www.milkdays.com Me loves me some milk days :)