I have to say, I still enjoyed the show, but it has gotten a whole lot smaller. There is one less…read moreroom of vendors on the second floor and the whole room in the middle on the first floor is no longer. Some of the long time vendors are not there and there are a couple of new ones. Also, down to just 2 choices for food vendors. Dave's Coffee Cakes is still up on the second floor and still offering samples ~YUM. Parking is still free but people park so haphazardly that it can be almost impossible to get into your car and out of your space when you are finished and want to leave.

From the owner: Promoters of award-winning arts & crafts shows. Each show is brimming with row after row of…read morehandcrafted, one-of-a-kind home decor & gifts. Entertainment, food & drink & lots of family fun.

The real highlight here is the carnival Giant Drop ride. Go…read moreon it with someone who is scared of heights, you'll doubt yourself.

This past weekend Glen Ellyn sponsored their annual Taste. This was my first time to Glen Ellyn's…read moreversion of a family fun weekend that most times is overrun by annoying teenage punks. Lombard Taste, you know what I'm talking about. I would say this is your average, run-of-the-mill, get what you pay for (it was free) local festival. For being a "Taste" there wasn't all that much being offered from local vendors. There were maybe 4 vendors with local treats like Tap House Grill, Chicks 'n Salsa, Chicago Prime Meat Market and a pizza joint. The rest of the food was your "eat with caution, likely to induce some serious commode time" typical carni-culprits like gyros and meat on a stick. Who doesn't love deep fried snickers that are advertised as "tastes like warm fudge"? ughhhhh. The arts and crafts were a sight for sore eyes. Actually, eyes that hurt really, really bad. They did have a climbing wall that seemed to be quite a hit with the youngsters. And I totally would have scaled that thing if not for the fear of ripping my pants open in front of the school-aged innocent. The free concerts on Saturday night made up for what could have been a bust of a weekend. Tin Horse, a country chick's band, and The New Invaders, a 60's cover band, kept us highly entertained throughout the cold night. Part of that might have had to do with the beer tent and those little $5 red tickets. My advice to next years Taste Committee - pick it up a notch, think about what people actually want to see/do at a festival, not just what's always been done. Promote local biz but do it in a modern way that will make people want to come back next year.

Free party? I'm…read morethere. Okay, this isn't your traditional party. In fact, it's more like free, live, outdoor entertainment in coordination with many of the area's independent businesses, but it's a nice way to spend an evening while roaming through Elmhurst's bustling City Centre. Here's the deal: From Memorial Day to Labor Day, every Wednesday and Saturday evening from 6-9pm, downtown Elmhurst's City Centre hosts a variety of talented musician under tented pop-ups throughout the city. Most are in areas that overlook outdoor patios or have plenty of public seating to enjoy. The acts, as far as I witnessed, were pretty outstanding, although the temporary tents make for a very casual, almost easy to miss, setting. We kept walking through downtown Elmhurst and thinking we were just hearing some loud speakers from a nearby bar that was playing Kings of Leon, Darius Rucker, LIVE, Bob Dylan and other well-known artists on a jukebox or something, but it wasn't. It was the sounds from the four different tents set up through downtown Elmhurst carrying over. The whole thing was really cool and very unexpected as we'd just kept kind of wandering into these neat pop-up live shows on different corners. Each band, singer, duo, etc really shocked us with their level of talent and performances. For me, being hard of hearing, it was better than going to a concert because here I could actually hear every note and word clear s day. Some of the tents were busier than others, but I think that was due to some areas being better for seating and such, but in any case, mild crowds formed, families danced, young girls swooned, it turned our leisurely stroll around the town into a really romantic night. In addition to the musical acts, area businesses offer super drink food and drink specials and I believe, if you stop by the City Centre office during daytime hours, and ask nicely, they have little postcard type gift certificates for $5 good at almost all the downtown Elmhurst businesses and a great excuse to stop for a beer or wine. On Wednesday I believe there's also a classic car show, so it probably gets pretty crowded, but on our Saturday stroll, the conditions were perfect, it wasn't at crazy. Again, the set up is really casual and you could walk by and just catch a few musical moments, but it's worth it to grab a coffee or grub at a nearby biz and set up shop near one of the pitch-perfect tents for a relaxing and budget-friendly evening.

The food court area is very messy and unorganized A lot of…read morehand washing stations, outdoor restrooms.Plenty of games and rides for all kids of different age groups. Very nice craft vendors- support local and small business please. Live concert by Don felder was amazing. Fireworks at the end-- everyone enjoyed. Overall great fest to go and have family time with great entertainment options. Bring your chairs, hoodie and may be picnic blanket.

Its an amazing fest. I went for this fest for the 2nd time. Amazing performances, food stalls,…read morerides and best game stalls. Very good time.

Visiting the Glen Ellyn French Market was a bit of a surprise, since my family and I are used to…read morethe bustling Saturday market in Wheaton. From what I gather, this market is newer, maybe still getting rolling. It happens on Sundays, from 9am to 2pm, in the parking lot at the corner of Crescent Blvd and Glenwood Ave. It's expected to continue until the end of October. On our visit here, there were a couple farms selling produce, several bakeries, stands selling granola, tea, iced coffee, sausage and cheeses. A lady was selling Usbourne books (love those!). Hmm what am I missing? Oh yea, two guys were making the most delicious chicken tacos. The amount of vendors and the crowd size are definitely more manageable than the Saturday market in Wheaton. I didn't care for the iced coffee I tried, which had me missing my Saturday cup from I Have A Bean. I'd skip that next time, but the rest of the market is worth checking out. If you see the guys grilling chicken, you must try a taco!

Very small market, I'd probably only come if I was going to be in the area. Nice assortment of…read morevendors: sweets, jams, produce, jewelry. Probably 6-8 vendors in total. Market goes through mid-October. Located right by the metra. Great location to walk to stores or restaurants afterwards.

Awesome party band! LOTS of FUN!read more

From the owner: Audience Participation! Crowd Enthusiasm! Event Success! Bandaroke - Live Band Karaoke is the live…read moremusic event service that inspires audience participation and crowd enthusiasm for your Corporate and Private Events. Bandaroke has been entertaining corporate event crowds and private functions for over 10 years in the Chicago-area as a way to enable music and singing enthusiasts of all levels of ability to sing, play, or dance with a live rock band. We will entertain and provide a good time for that 25-year old alternative introvert IT worker as well as that 60-year old classic rock exec. We are also an all-request cover and dance band and your group can choose from our over 500 songs to listen and dance to their favorite tunes.