Such a fun little town. Hung out on the square at the local fair. Live music. Great food. A bit of…read morerich history. Fun rides. We ranged from 2-62 and everyone of us had a fun time!

Nice hometown festival. Food, drinks, live music, rides. Good times, of course it can't have 5…read morestars b/c our Chi neighborhood festivals are on a different level...sorry Liberty-thrill! But at least I started this post so you can flourish :)

Monroe Cheese Days, how to describe it for someone who's never been? It's a festival celebrating…read moreMonroe's claim to fame: cheese. More specifically, locally made cheese and limburger cheese. Local beer is a big part of it too, but that's not the star of the show (and for good reason because Minhas brews are less than good). There's live music, most of which is fantastic (pro tip: check out the beer tent down by Minhas, that's where you'll find some great music, especially later in the afternoon and evening). There are some fun Swiss cultural experiences to be had from the stage on the South side of the Square thanks to the Alphorn players, yodelers, and accordion players. As for food, the cheese curds are stupid good. Yes the line is long, and yes you should do it anyway. I only wish they'd offer an additional ticket where you have the option to pay an extra $.50-$1 to pair funky cheese sauces and aioli dips with your curds. These curds certainly don't need sauces, but it'd add to the whole foodie experience. A few notes for first-timers: -Get the cheese curds. You can't possibly participate in a Cheese Days celebration without eating these cheese curds. I promise they're the best you've ever had. -There are two beer areas: one surrounding the square, a second at the beer tent. The beer used to be restricted to beer tents only, now you can wander each respective area. -Music at the Beer tent is a must. -The beer stand on the square offers different brews than that at the Beer Tent down by Minhas, so try something from both areas. Don't expect to love the Minhas beer though. -Check out the hospitality tent ahead of time for events you want to participate in. They're free. I recommend the cheese and beer pairing class. It's lead by a Master Cheesemaker.

Should be called Minhas and cheese days. I came up from Madison, the drive was pretty! The…read morefestival was large and hard to miss. It was much larger than expected. I walked in to grilled cheese, cheese curds, cream puffs, and beer. I heard the cheese puffs was where the party was at but I decided to go with the grilled cheese from one of the tents. It was way boring. For a cheese fest, I was expecting something that had a little bit of personality but it was just blah. The cheese tent was ok. You had to fight the crowd to get any cheese and yeah, there was a good variety but you can almost get the same variety from a good cheese shop, such as my fave, Ehlenbach's. You do not even have to fight crowds there. The one saving grace was Minhas and their bandstand. Their beer was cheaper, there was a big band playing that actually made me want to boogie and the people watching was prime. I think I would go again but I would have to for sure rethink the plan. I did at one point refer to this as the Disneyland of cheese, long lines for about 10 seconds of glory.

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.

Another year, another Itasca Fest…read more We live minutes from the Itasca border, so getting here is a breeze. And so is parking -- though you do have to be willing to walk a block or two. But downtown Itasca is lovely. I think most people, if they drove through this little village of 8,300 people, would not expect very big happenings. But Itasca Fest is pretty impressive for the size of the town. Free admission, and there's a huge carnival, a big tent set up with plenty of tables for noshing at and a stage with live entertainment, bingo, a rummage sale, educational events for the kids (including interacting with wild animals) and of course plenty of greasy food to go around. Last year, there was a super-cool NASA trailer set up where you could play with various gadgets and learn about life in a spaceship. Honestly, I enjoyed it as much as the kid with us did. Unfortunately, no NASA trailer this year. Still, four stars for a solidly good time nearby and on the cheap.

Considering the majority of my big fat Italian family lives in Itasca, it's shocking that this was…read moremy first time here. And let's be honest, I came for the Bingo. We started here on Sunday night, the last night of the fest. Bingo is run by the Lyons Club and they do a great job of keeping the natives restless while having some personality. The guy working our row was awesome, was so friendly. Cards are 3 for a dollar and my dreams were crushed when I saw they were the sliders and not the stamp kind of cards. I was really looking forward to having a big purple stamper to dot up my cards. Each round of Bingo could win somewhere between $50-$70 but alas, I didn't have any luck. The final round was a cover-all game and cards were $1 each. The jackpot for that final round was above the $200 mark. In order to entertain us before the final round (and possibly because it was the last night of the fest, we were able to get as many free drinks as we wanted before the last game). I spent about $13 total on an hour of Bingo, which I don't consider to be too much of a loss. Did I really just write about Bingo for a full paragraph? Back to the fest. They have about 8-10 vendors for food including local restaurants. Rides are plentiful here, I couldn't even guess how many. Upwards of a dozen? Games were also not scarce, and they had all the classic games. I ended up winning myself a stuffed monkey. It's what every 29 year old adult female needs. I can only compare Itasca fest to Bartlett fest or Naperville's Rib Fest. I would probably prefer Itasca fest over both because it has WAY more games and rides than Bartlett, and isn't as crowded as Rib Fest. It's a new summer tradition.

Elburn Days is not just a fest, it's an entire community stopping to celebrate and take some time…read morefrom the every day norm to let loose. You can take the train, drive straight in on 38, or shoot down 47. There's plenty of parking all around the city, and even if you walk around town, which there are some quaint shops and bars to eat... AND DON'T FORGET REAMS!, you aren;t far from the fest. Highly recommend a visit, you won' be disappointed.

The fest is pretty large and spread out. Sure, it's free to get in. However, they get you on the…read moreparking costs. They have different tiers depending on how close you want to park. To get in and out of the parking lots can be a pain. The food vendors accept cash or card which is nice. Food lines are long! Be prepared to wait. They had multiple bar lines that were fast. Bar lines also sold water and NA options. Plenty of porta potties. If you plan on attending bring your own chair or blanket to sit on. They allow you to bring in your own food and drinks (just no outside alcohol). Something to keep in mind to keep your costs down. Spread out, but expect crowds. Overall a good event.

We attended this event last year, we had a table set up there for our company (Westway Coach), a…read moreschool bus company. Just wanted to add that we had an amazing time there, the ambient, the music, the food, all was great, we had an amazing time being part of this event.

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.

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.

Good Family fun but needs more rides. Main Stage and beer garden is for adults only this year. Wild…read morewest bbq yum, funnel cake, cheese fries. Lots of vendors. Try out some of the local owned shops, they're great! Nice small local event. Bands are cool.

This is a pretty decent-sized festival for the burbs. It has the typical carnival rides on the side…read moreand food tents setup that you usually see in suburban festival. I decided to check it out after a Northbrookian (or is it "Northbrook-ite"?) kept saying how awesome it was and that he so far went on the previous two days. Most be good, I though, eh? I have to agree that it was pretty good. The weather was perfect on Sunday and its right next to the Metra stop so there was parking that was really close by. So unlike other suburban festivals that are held in residential parks (think Arlington Heights Frontier Days) you don't have to take a tour of the neighborhood and drive around in circles looking for somewhere to park. The food there was decent and "festival priced" -- the currency there is tickets, tickets, tickets and they were selling 1-ticket for 50cents. I got the beef brisket sammich at some BBQ place called TK's which was awesome, and I shall "bookmark". This place showcased a lot of Northbrook restaurants that I shall try out in the near future. My forgetful memory entails that I'll need to lookup the names again :-/ Overall, a decent-sized festival that is worth checking out if you're in the burbs.

Rides, games, music, food, people That IS NB days fest. Located in downtown Northbrook, the village…read moregreen turns into a huge carnival area with food/game/ride vendors plus a large stage area with live music. The kids love it, big enough to have fun, small enough to still be some what contained. Rides can get expensive, they used to have a band deal but not sure what the current status of that is. This event fires up on a Wednesday in late July and soldiers on through until Sunday evening.