Fun summer event with lots of great Irish themed booths, music, activities, drinks, and food…read more Throughout the event, there's plenty of great dancing and bands that play starting from the afternoon that goes till the evening. Admission is very reasonable at only $5, with proceeds benefiting the Arlington Heights Historical Museum. There are some nice photo taking opportunities as well with several setups for leprechaun themed pictures. Nice place to spend an evening listening to some great music and celebrating Irish culture. Don't forget to try some of the special soda offered here as well.

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 haven't been to Nickel City since the remodel, so I was curious to see what it looked like…read more The gentleman behind the desk was as kind as I remembered, and let me know what the options to put on the game cards were. He even let me turn in all of my "vintage" coupons that I had stashed away in the car--there was about 2,500 worth and he added them to my card, no questions asked! The space is very open and more quiet than other arcades. We were there on a Saturday night from about 6p-9:45p. $25/per person went a pretty long way! We played air hockey, the Simpsons, discovered some cool import games, tried our luck at the egg game, etc. I believe most of our party of 4 has credits left over. They still have the gear game that I remembered, the game where you have to drop the red balls into the buckets, etc., but I was pleasantly surprised to see they had a cool, new Hot Wheels puck game, a huge Monopoly spinner, and the Rick and Morty drop game that entertained me for the majority of my time there. I have a hard time parting with my tickets (clearly, based on the stash in my car), but the "store" had a wide variety of items and fair prices. We ate dinner before heading over so I cannot speak on the cafe nor did I use the bathroom myself. There are not as many games as other arcades, but it is a very nice place to spend some time!

This place sure has been cleaned up! It's been a while since I've been to Nickel City, so I'm not…read moresure when they renovated, but it's great now! The place seems to have more emphasis on carnival-type games where you get tickets as a result of playing them, such as skee-ball, basketball, ball bucket drop, etc. They do still have the nickel arcades, but definitely it is the minority. They also reconfigured the layout, and it feels more spacious and less clutter. All, surprisingly, all games were working and there was not a single out-of-order sign when I went. Sadly, there is no more free arcade section, except for a Tetris arcade near the basketball machine. While the arcades do take the good ol' fashioned Jefferson, all other games require a game card. Load up the game card at two different kiosk, one near the counter selling overpriced prizes, or one in the back near the bathrooms. Overall experience, I like it! With just spending $11, my teenager was able to entertain himself for close to 2-hrs. That's a great price for me. This cheap parent will come back. BATHROOM REVIEW: Located near the back, the bathrooms are the only thing that appears to not be renovated. Everything was in working order, and got the job done. Don't forget to wash your hands, because we all know you'll be touching everything afterwards. Sit or squat? Squat.

We attend this festival every year. It's easily accessible by car or train, it is usually very hot…read moreand very exposed to the sun's UV's so come prepared with your sunscreen, spf wear, and/or parasol. There is a wide variety of art to peruse and take in. They also do a great job with the kids area by the DQ. If you need a bev or bite outside of the established surrounding businesses, follow the sound of live music to the west music stage and you will find vendor options. There are also some bite options at the north music stage but no alcohol. Thanks to Ravinia Brewing, we have beer at the festival, and since it's August, they usually have their Octoberfest on tap. Prost!

I'm always a fan of a great art fest, especially in my home town. It's been a few years since my…read morelast Port Clinton Art Festival, and I happened to be able to attend at the last hour of the show this year. Contrary to another review, I'm pretty sure this show is juried. I didn't have time to "shop" at the show, but I did take a bunch of cards from those I'd like to visit online. In truth, I think there was a wide variety of artists this year. Yes, it seemed like there were fewer, but I was happy to see some new ones mixed in with repeats. I don't know what I would do differently, but I wish it felt a bit more urban in flavor like the Old Town Art Fair. Even more variety? What I missed this year were the big crowds, since I came late. On the plus side I could get around a lot easier, but on the minus side, it took away from the excitement a bit. Next year I plan to get there earlier. I love and appreciate all art. Some of my favorites (so I don't forget), not included in the photos attached to this review, included: - Igor Menaker Fine Art Photography - Second Chance Art & Accessories - kudulah monsters - Tiny People Big Laughs photography out of Denver - Ezra Siegel - Bruce Jefferies Reinfeld with High Fidelity Gallery - Dotty Giraffe - Mark Hersch photographer (in photo above) Great job, and see you next year!

Not a bad festival if you're in the neighborhood. It's quiet and peaceful compared to the ones in…read moreChicago so that is nice. I wish they would've put the carnival part with the food together. They had them on separate side of the train tracks which made it confusing even though they had signage glinting to the food and drinks. I think it would make it easier to have fun with friends and keeping an eye on the kids while they play.

Nearly every Independence Day, my family and I gather in the ED Rudolph Velodrome of the Northbrook…read morePark District to watch the Northbrook fireworks. Decades ago, before I got married, I loved taking leisurely walks from our home to the velodrome with my parents. Sometimes my grandmother would join us when she was visiting. At that time, spectators were only allowed to sit on the bleachers behind the track. Before the fireworks show, the infield would host inter-school marching band competitions, which we always enjoyed watching. The fireworks were launched from inside the velodrome, bursting spectacularly overhead, sometimes raining sparks over the infield, where some bold attendees would rush to sit despite the warnings. Today, the setup has changed. The marching band performances are no longer part of the event, and the fireworks are now launched from outside the velodrome, making them visible across Meadowhill Park and Techny Prairie Park and Fields. Still, we prefer to watch from inside the velodrome, our favorite spot. While my family still lives in town, we no longer live within walking distance of the velodrome. But we've kept the tradition alive. Each year, we park around downtown Northbrook and enjoy the pleasant 15-minute walk to the velodrome. It adds to the festive spirit and brings back a bit of the feeling from those days long ago. Now, spectators are welcome on the grassy infield. When we arrived this year, a DJ was entertaining the crowd before the fireworks. Families and children were fully immersed in the festive atmosphere. We brought lawn chairs, settled in, and enjoyed the energy of the evening. The fireworks were spectacular as always, a dazzling end to a perfect night. My parents and grandmother have since passed on, but each year as the fireworks light up the sky, I like to think they're watching from above, smiling with us, still a part of this beloved family tradition. I also appreciate the chance to capture beautiful photos of the fireworks. It used to take professional equipment to photograph them vividly against the night sky. Now, I feel so fortunate to have unobstructed seats and the ability to shoot stunning fireworks photos right from my phone, and the pictures turn out wonderfully!

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.

I love Genesee Theater!…read more This smaller vintage theater has charm and elegance inside and out. The large chandeliers are gorgeous. The staff scanning tickets and the ushers are warm and welcoming. They were very helpful. All seats offer a great view. The first two rows cause you to loop up at the stage so I would recommend at least a few isles back. The shows they offer are diverse and plentiful. The more popular shows create a bit of traffic. There is street parking and a nearby parking garage.

Still Enjoying the Genesee Theatre First of all, we…read moreabsolutely love seeing concerts at the Genesee. It's a smaller, intimate venue where there really isn't a bad seat in the house. Parking couldn't be easier -- affordable parking is located literally about 50 feet from the entrance and it's only $10, which makes the whole experience even better. We paid under $100 for two Orchestra Row T seats, and since our row was empty, we moved to the middle for a better view. The show featured a full orchestra, lead singer David Jacobson, and two female vocalists. The first half highlighted Neil's softer songs, while the second half brought the energy with his bigger hits. For the price, it was a fun and enjoyable evening. We now attend at least 3 -4 events per year here!