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.

I went in the past but I thought it was going to be huge. It was definitely not as big as I had…read morethought. If you come later in the afternoon or evening, you'll be parking far from the entrance. That's if you go on a Fri or Saturday. They had different kinds of animals to look at. Food is your typical fair food. I didn't want to eat fried food all the time, so it was nice to see some pierogis in the mix. They do have some shows going on, you'll have to look at the schedule to see if anything interests you. We probably only spent a couple hours here at the max.

We try to go to the sandwich fair every year, and this year was pretty good. I love getting dole…read morewhip whenever I go, and the local food truck selling alligator on a stick is always a must have. It's always fun getting to pet the farm animals like goats. I enjoy looking at all the historical things around the fairgrounds, like the old fire trucks and engine displays. It does get quite packed, and lines do tend to get long so plan in advance!

Very fun time, family friendly entertainment. Over 200 cars and trucks on display this year. DJ Ron…read moreReiner playing classic rock and country hits. 50 50 raffle, beer garden, live music, fireworks, DJ, lots of horse power!

From the owner: Maple Park Fun Fest is a classic small town festival geared for big time entertainment. It occurs…read moreover Labor Day Weekend and brings live music, craft show, car show, parade, Fire Department water fights, food vendors, 5K run/2 mile walk, bags tournament, a spectacular fireworks show and much more.

Worst Oktoberfest I've ever attended. Right next to the train station, deafening train horns were…read moreblaring through every 15-30 minutes. Every single person was sweating due to zero ventilation in the tent that smelled like a giant armpit. The food line was incredibly inefficient. 5 people back, the wait was at least 20 minutes for food, then you have to go across the stifling tent to get a drink. Why can't they be in the same location. 2 brats, 2 sides, 12 oz beer & 1 bottle water was $30 flat. I was so hot, I wasn't hungry. The best part: live music? Nope. Canned and piped through speakers. You've been warned.

I went on a Sunday looking for some good German affair. I was greeted by warm temperatures,…read moreannoying train horns and extremely long wait times for no reason at all. The concept of one lady working the cash register while taking your orders was extremely inefficient. Waiting 20 minutes in a line of about 10 people is ridiculous. Skip this and seek out other Oktoberfest locations for your own sanity.

North Aurora Days was a LOT smaller than I expected! It's held in the parking lot of a single strip…read moremall off of Randall and Oak Streets (where the Super Wash is). FOOD: There was a beer tent and 6 food vendors: 1 BBQ, 1 Tacos, 1 fried foods, 1 corn, 1 Italian Ice, and an Oberweis Dairy ice cream truck. I found food prices to be REALLY steep: I paid $15 for a 6" corn dog and dry cheese curds that had been sitting under a warmer. ENTERTAINMENT: In the evening there were only carnival games (4), a tall slide, and a bouncy castle, and a stage with live music. During the day there are specific events (garage sale, book sale, 5k). People set up lawn chairs, so note you can bring those. Most went "parade style" and set them up en masse to claim spots, and then left elsewhere. Overall? Meh. Very underwhelming, at least in terms of attending Saturday evening. I suppose it's halfway decent if you live in the neighborhood and just want to chill and listen to music with your family and neighbors.

Boy! Has North Aurora Days come around. If you would like to walk back in time and relish the…read moreexperience of a good ole' fashion small town picnic. Then you oughta try North Aurora Days at their Riverfront Park next time it happens. There's music, refreshments, rustic and picturesque scenery - and a very special atmosphere of family fun and wholesome good times.

July 2014 marked the 43rd year for the Aurora Puerto Rican Heritage Festival. I love going to fests…read moreof all kinds in different towns and I must admit...this was one of the best I've been to. The Puerto Rican Heritage Fest is in downtown Aurora at the River Edge Park. They couldn't have picked a better location. For one, the park is fairly new and absolutely beautiful. Two, parking was extremely easy--only $1.50 in the metra parking lot and it is right across the street from the fest. And three, they have a huge stage with seating for live bands. The festivities last two days, Saturday and Sunday, and kick off with the Puerto Rican Parade at noon. The parade itself is located in the streets of downtown near City Hall. After that, everyone walks/drives over to River Edge. It's only $5 to get in! Not bad. As soon as you're past security, it's like you're actually in Puerto Rico. The smell of delicious fried foods, red white and blue flags every where, and loud music that makes you want to stop and dance with someone. I was in heaven! First thing to do at any fest is head to liquor booths. There were pina colada and daquiri booths every where, so I picked the first one I came to. "These have rum in them right?" "No, you have to go get drink tickets at a different stand and they only sell mikes hard and beer." WHAT!? How are you gonna have all these drink stands and no booze? Not too big of a deal, but that's definitely a recommendation I would make for next year. So I grabbed a Mikes hard. It was $4 but that's typical at any fest. Next I went to all the booths where they sold puerto rican jewelry, flags, clothes, art work, anything you could imagine. It was much like Guavate, Puerto Rico. Shops everywhere but many of them selling the same stuff. I got a great flag, only $3 bucks, and a festival t-shirt, only $15 bucks. The prices were very reasonable. Keep in mind...many of the vendors only spoke Spanish. Now for the food...by far the best part of the fest! Anything I could possibly get my hands on and eat...I did. There were multiple food vendors. Again, many of them selling the same type of foods, but some times the way they make it varies (such as the beans different vendors use. And yes, the type of bean you use when making Puerto Rican food matters!!) All together, I spent only $26 bucks on food and you would not believe me if I showed you just how much food $26 bucks got me! I got two empanadillas (fried meat pies), a huge portion of lechon (pulled pork), a fried plantain, one giant rellenos de papa (fried potato ball with ground beef inside), habichuelas guisadas (pink beans with wonderful seasoned sauce), and arroz con gandules (yellow rice and gandules)! We also ordered the bacalaitos (cod fritters), alcapurria (corn fritter stuffed with ground beef), and a pastele. The pastele, however, was the only thing that was not good! It was complete mush. Everything else was AMAZING!! They also sold pinchos, sorrulitos de maiz (sweet corn fritters), mozzarepa (corn pancake stuffed with mozzarella), and funnel cakes...so many different kinds of funnel cakes like red velvet! Mmmm.... This fest is seriously a great time. The people are so beautiful and friendly (seriously every person working the fest was just so happy to be there, really friendly and helpful). The music was fun, the puerto rican souvenirs were well priced, and the food was cheap and DELICIOUS!! I can't wait for next years fest!

I love this annual art fair. It is not too crowded, but well attended. There is a nice variety of…read moreexhibitors. Third Street (the north -south street) is blocked off starting just south of Roosevelt/State street/38 but the east-west streets remain open. This year there were more exhibitors and kudos to those vendors who came from out of state, especially Wisconsin, who wove their way through flooded roads to get here. There is an art area for children so all family members can enjoy their outing. Parking can be a bit of an issue and you may have to walk a few blocks, but that's just fine.

Great juried art and crafts show. Very nice area to have a show and many people attend because it…read moreis held on 3rd street in Geneva where there are a lot of places to eat. Don't miss it. You'll be sorry if you do!