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.

This was a decent place to watch fireworks for free without paying an entrance fee. There is a…read morestage where cover bands play music. Multiple food vendors although some of them didn't accept credit cards? I ended up getting fried Oreos from another vendor and it was delicious. They were soft and the Oreos just melted in your mouth. Not overly sweet. It was $6 for 4 pieces. You also have the overpriced carnival games. Parking was organized with cops directing traffic. It was a short walk. This is a good place for families but the cost can add up.

Plenty of free parking, visible police and fire personnel, great variety of food and fun live music…read moreat night. I love how the Mayor and his wife and many local electeds are visible volunteering alongside community volunteers each year. Thank you for a great festival without having to drive far or endure the downtown crowds and traffic!

We did go back to see our friend Liz who bartends there. The hospitality was much better since she…read morewas there. Atmosphere is great. Saturday nights they have a DJ which makes the place fun. The food however unfortunately is nothing memorable and needs improvement. The staff is pleasant and we believe they are moving in the right direction. If the menu improves I can upgrade from 2 stars to 4. We aren't gamers so based on that we visit based on food and drinks menu, atmosphere and hospitality.

Dimitri was the absolute best! had a great time there. first time it was awesome, definitely going…read moreback

Wow, this was really terrible. It took 28 minutes to get from the entrance on Willow Road to the…read morebooth where you get your ticket scanned. Along that entire route are just lighted fake Christmas trees, and I was wondering if that was what we paid $40 for. You can tune your dial to 89.1 to hear some Christmas music as you drive through the place. Once you get path the ticket booth there are some more elaborate displays but they are gaudy as all get out. There was a whole weird "patriotic"-maybe MAGA-definitely weird section with a lighted Mt. Rushmore, tank shooting at a Christmas tree, Uncle Sam, Iwo Jima, a helicopter... the standard Christmas military presence I guess? Also odd is Dino World. You know how St. Nick spent Christmas with the dinosaurs and then during the ice age he just chilled (pun intended) with the elves and reindeer until modern day. And there's also the homage to winter construction with the construction cones, backhoes, and so on. The more typical winter and holiday scenes are there, but a very small fraction of the various scenes. Once we got past the ticket booth, it took us about 30 minutes to drive through. It went slow, and it was not an enjoyable ride for my 17 month old though she may have enjoyed it more if she was older. The only--and I mean ONLY--reason to subject yourself to this is if you need to visit a drive-through light display because one in the party is disabled or something. And even if that's the case, you could find some neighborhoods in the city and suburbs to drive through and probably see nicer displays and spend the $40 (plus tax) on dinner or something.

This was our first and last time going through the Willow Hill Light show. While there were some…read morenice spots along the drive, there were many lights burnt out and some of the displays were not appropriate for a holiday display.... dinosaurs, a very odd military display with a tank shooting at a Christmas tree, a theme of construction equipment? Why? No music. Long lines. They ran out of the items we had preordered. The doughnuts were exactly like the mini Hostess ones you get from a box. For $40 a car plus the snacks, the total was $80 and so absolutely not worth the cost. Would not go back and would not recommend.

So we did this while out in Schaumburg, having gone to Enterrium and then axe throwing. THIS was…read moreHILARIOUS. So my husband and I are both 47 yrs old. The oldest folks there. There were youngsters taking the selfie game to the next level. Dressed up. Taking their time for the perfect shot. We are Gen X. That said, we just quickly went through each "scene" and took photos and then edited later. We had so much fun and were maybe there for 30 min. You pay the fee, they give you a ring light and a little remote thing and you use your phone. It's so easy and so fun! No matter what age you are - grab a bunch of friends and do this. The photos turned out great and we had tons of great memories and laughs!

This adorable studio is nestled within Streets of Woodfield and is just a hidden gem experience…read more We came in on a Thursday afternoon and had the entire studio to ourselves for a good hour! The associate at the front desk was super enthusiastic, friendly, and amazing. She guided us through the experience and how everything works. She set the tone by being very high energy, fun and helpful. The neat thing about this studio is that it's not just having your friends take photos of you in front of different backdrops.... It's actually having your friends be in the photos too!!! There is actual equipment such as a camera stand, enhanced lighting, and a clicker button provided to you which helps you take the photos. You can literally take as many photos as you want in an hour, and all these photos are taken with your own phone!! The backdrops are gorgeous, detailed and just so much fun. There was over 20 backdrops to choose from. We genuinely had as much fun exploring the different backdrops as we did taking the photos. We felt very safe in the studio. The associate wore a mask when she interacted with us and was constantly cleaning and sanitizing. All back drops were tidy and neat as can be. They even have changing rooms here!? No detail is overlooked The photos definitely speak for themselves and what a great value to get so many photos and have so much fun. Definitely recommend this as a fun afternoon date or activity with friends in the area.

Allways very well run and organized. Thery ahve a great carnival and large food offering. There is…read morea ton of different other activaties from bingo to hockey skills. One of the resons its so good is the quality of the volunteers, they are the heartbeat of the festival. We have been a vendor at the marketplace for the last few years and its the best one of any of the city festivals. Its worth the trip to check out, there is something for everyone.

A great Fourth of July festival. Frontier Days is a must see. The most fun you will have in five…read moredays. The activities during the day are geared toward families and great entertainment at night. The best part is that admission is free. Food and beer are available to purchase and at reasonable prices. The "Red Shirt" volunteers put in a great deal of care and effort and it shows. On Independence Day, I attended the parade and it is THE BEST parade that I have ever seen. The focus is on fun with a capital F. Before the band on the first night I saw them present scholarships. What a great way to give back to the community! Beyond the regular carnival activities are some very special and unique activities that make Frontier Days special. Among them are bingo, pony rides, pie eating contest, rib eating contest, cake decorating, dog frisbee, corn hole, water fights, soccer tournament, volleyball tournament, spikeball tournament, etc. The family fun stage is filled with lots of amazing entertainment such as the pet parade, magicians, reptile show, dancers, clowns, police demonstrations, and music acts. The best part of the festival for me is the Citizens with Disabilities day. This is a day where citizens with disabilities and their families can ride in the carnival without the big crowds and with accessibility considerations. This is followed by a great lunch and entertainment for the families. Frontier days is definitely a magical way to spend the Fourth of July weekend!

I love Christmas lights, and needed to have a little something to get me in the holiday spirit…read more Learned about the Lights on Magnolia and took a drive out to Rolling Meadows to check it out. This is a residential neighborhood, so keep your volume low and don't park in front of people's driveways or turn around in them. You'll need to tune your radio to the station to hear the music just like if you were at a drive through movie. It's corny and cheesy but it's a nice effort by a group of neighbors who are trying to bring some cheer and contribute to a good cause; this year is going to a local food pantry. They ask folks to bring non-perishable items and/or make a donation via Venmo or Cashapp. The synchronized show runs for about 20 minutes or so.

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.