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.

The sidewalks are filled with seasonal tourists and fairgoers. Shops are open, restaurants are…read morefilled, and on the main thoroughfare, games, fair food, and carnival rides for the whole family. There are also live bands, vendors, and a water ski show. Fireworks at dusk. The fair is on Wednesday through Sunday. This is an annual event and there's something for everyone. Parking is at a minimum due to the crowd, so public transportation, or carpooling is recommended.

If you come for Sunday festivities - to watch the water show - being your chairs and blankets early…read moreto get a good spot!! Show is at 6, people start saving seats as soon as noon!! More to come!

Once again at the Walworth County fair in Elkhorn, WI. The smell of the food truck, hits you right…read morewhen you go through the gate. This is my favorite fair outside of the WI state fair. Very well organized, and plenty of parking. It looks like they've got a bigger budget for entertainment this year. They actually have Nelly playing (separate ticket fee)... tickets are on sale now. The restroom facilities are numerous, and very clean. Ride wristbands for kids and young adults are $30 (ride all day for free). Exhibit, Barnes, commercial, Barnes, and lots of animals in the petting areas. Early morning hours they have judging of farm animals and 4H craft. Cream puffs and eclairs are the big draw. Yum. If you're in the area, and looking for something to do this weekend, this is quite an event.

Sunday next to the last day of the Walworth county fair myself my wife and her close friends went…read morefor the day was a great day did a lot of walking a great chicken Gyro had great corn head good ice cream watch several great bands And ended the evening watching the foreigners saw a lot of wonderful animals went through the children's for age rewards bought a couple little things and it was just a good day everybody enjoyed themselves and I highly recommend tomorrow's the last day but we came last year and you can come next year don't miss it

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.

\\ HALLOWEEN SPINSANITY \\…read more Six Flags' resident DJ has taken over the relatively tame Chubasco and turned it into something truly.....sinister. For one month out of the operating season, SFGAm's teacups ride transforms into one of Skrillex's nightmares. The windows get boarded up, lights go off, music goes on, and the mayhem begins. If you thought spinning teacups in a fully-lit environment was disorienting, well amigos you ain't seen nothin' yet! Back in 2009, Six Flags revamped the former 'Terror Twister' to the state it's in now, which is a HUGE jump from its prior version. This included putting together a deeper soundtrack, creating heavier fog, adding hi-beam laser lights, and replacing the scanner-type lighting to all LEDs. Also, they synchronized the lights & fog to the music and increased the overall ride's duration. There are allegedly 8 unique ride experiences, all with different songs and lighting arrangements. Take note though, the line moves *very* slowly. Capacity is not this ride's strong point, and coupled with the lengthened ride cycles, prepare to wait upwards of 35-45 minutes. It's well worth the wait, mind you. TT2: AT4TW is, in this reviewer's opinion, the keystone attraction at Great America's Halloween event. No other ride undergoes as drastic a remodeling as the teacups do--although the 'Rue Le Morgue' bumper cars (normally Rue Le Dodge) are fitted with similar environmental effects like heavy metal, black lights, strobes, etc. An absolutely mandatory ride on your visit to SFGAm's Fright Fest.

Free parking is always nice. The designated driver ticket was a bit steep. I paid $15 to meet up…read morewith a friend. I didn't want to drink because apparently all the cider places they said were co I feel either didn't show or ran out. The live music was cool and it seemed pretty well organized. I liked that you didn't have to use tickets like at the Schaumburg Craft Beer Fest. But, I won't be back.

An OK first time effort. We arrived at 1:00pm and stayed till 4:00pm. The event was well…read moreorganized...there were a sufficient number of portable bathrooms, the beer was kept cold throughout, the live music good, and the food vendors well represented at reasonable prices. About 15-20 brew pubs and breweries were represented..mostly Chicago area brew pubs like Emmits, Revolution, and Haymarket.. The weather was very warm..would like to see a "covered" seating area for eating and band listening next year. Also, I would like to see more representation by craft breweries.

I've never woken up and thought, "Gee, I'm feeling good, I might go buy some art today." But that's…read morebasically how my day ended up unfolding this past Saturday. While doing the Groundhog Day walking tour, we decided to check out the Old Courthouse/current Arts Center just for the hell of it. I'm not really into art unless it involves renderings of cute animals or my favorite celebrities (I wouldn't mind a nice over-the-fireplace portrait of Bill Murray or Bernie Mac or David Letterman), but for the most part, when I hear people talk about art I just have to drift off to another place to keep myself from rolling my eyes at the pretension, but here, I didn't get that... at all. We walked around and were shocked with the collection of works here as well as the quality and lessn't we forget price. They had handmade unique pottery that was unlike any pottery I'd ever seen before and pretty much priced for a limited budget person such as myself. There were many rooms to roam though, leading in a circle around the main room with register and beautiful older ladies with long, stringy grey hair - exactly the way you'd picture older, artsy, free-spirited women. In the second to last room in the round-about gallery, I found something that basically stopped me in my tracks. It was titled 'Fortune Teler' and it was a relatively giant framed canvas, full of color, it had hanging beads, mini-lightbulbs, little sequins set into the partial gold-filigree'd frame with a the work itself being completely covered in bright but shadowy colors that had an orange/yellow-haired boy flipping over two unreadable tarot cards for a big, green cat and a magenta rhino (that at first I admittedly though was an aardvark - my favorite animal next to manatees). I couldn't be torn away from it. And it was only (and normally I would've shit my pants over this price) $150. I took a pics of it, spent another 4-hours with it on my mind while we walked the town and went back 15 minutes before close to seal the sale. The woman said she was sad to see that painting go but could tell from looking at me that we were a right match, which may have all been pillow-talk, but it really does feel like it was made for me. I do wish they'd had a bit more information on the artist and painting but, it was right on the dot when they were closing and they were able to take down my info so hoping I'll hear back, and if not, I'm fine with just having the painting, too.

I'm not really an art gallery person, but this was one of only a couple places open on a Sunday…read moreafternoon, so my husband and I walked around. The historic building holds several rooms with assorted paintings and sculptures from local and national artists. Some are landscape paintings while others are strange mobiles made of wood. One display was a large photo of a naked obese woman laying on a pile of books, along with an actual pile of books below the photo! It was kind of cool walking around and seeing some of the local talent, plus some part of the building itself (we found a heavy metal door that said "McHenry County Records" from the 19th century. If you're around, drop in for a few moments. You'll be entertained.

Takes hour or more for your food they have limited seating and everything you try and order they…read moreare out of it.

they promote toddler time on social media as toddlers only, to play in a clean environment before…read moreopening to the public. We went today for toddler time, there were many older kids / teenagers jumping around. The place isn't cleaned either, many crumbs on the ground, crumbs on the trampolines, I'm not sure the place had actually ever been cleaned before let alone vacuumed. The arcade machines are also rigged and half are broken. Monopoly game had a broken screw in it so the dice wouldn't spin. ZR machine broken lol. There was never staff behind any desk to help out. When they do come out from the kitchen (where literally every staff member was) you're ignored. The place is ran by teenagers, how are there no adults or adult managers? the "manager" when i told him how dirty the place was said "sorry for the inconvenience" ????? ****THEYVE NOW BLOCKED ME ON FB AND DELETED ALL OF MY COMMENTS ON THEIR POST ABOUT TODDLER TIME**** guess what you can't delete? google and yelp reviews :) :)