The Village of Palos Park will host the Annual Festival: September 20 - 21, 2013
The fun kicks off on Friday, September 20th with an evening of music, food, and fun for all ages. The festival grounds will open at 5 pm to the sounds of Blue Willie T & da Mid-Nite Lovers. Looking for something to eat or drink? Choose from over 10 local food vendors in the food court and a variety of beer, wine, and spirits. The Village Green will be rocking throughout the evening to the Motown sounds of the Hitsville Revue Band & Show on the Main Stage from 7 to 10 pm. Enjoy a relaxing and enjoyable Autumn evening in Palos Park at this much anticipated community event.
Grab the wagon and bring the whole family to the 12th Annual Village Parade on Saturday, September 21st. The parade will travel along 123rd Street from 82nd Avenue to 8901 West 123rd Street. Parade Grand Marshall, Steven J. Carr, Retired Fire Chief of Palos Fire Protection District., will kick off the Parade at 11am, welcoming hundreds of parade goers to the Autumn In The Park Festival.
The Parade ends just as the festival grounds open to the public at 12:30 pm for a full day of excitement in Palos Park. This year’s festival has been enhanced and expanded to include more food, fun, and entertainment for all ages.
Find out what's happening in Paloswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
There will be the very popular 9th Annual Chili Cook-Off sanctioned by both the International Chili Society (ICS) and Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI). Prizes will be awarded in several categories. And for you fest-goers who don’t cook, you can sample the hot and tasty chili and vote on your favorite for the People’s Choice Competition. Bring your appetite and judgment to the public tasting and experience the variety of chili being prepared at 1:15 p.m.
One of this year’s most anticipated events is the Amateur BBQ Rib Competition. Contestants will fire up the grill and prepare Baby Back Ribs for judging by a panel of trained judges. Prizes will be awarded to 1st Place, 2nd Place, 3rd Place, and People’s Choice. If you’re craving those hot-off-the-grill Baby Back Ribs, be sure to stop by the Public Tasting at 5:15 p.m.
Find out what's happening in Paloswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
If you miss the chili and BBQ Rib tastings, our food court is open both Friday and Saturday during festival hours. Fest goers will have plenty of delicious foods to fill up on from our fine list of food vendors including; Aurellio’s Pizza, Azteca Catering, Frangella’s Italian Market, Kekes Fun Food, Kernel Sweetooth, Plush Horse, Uncle Bubs, and Zacarellis. The Palos Lions Club, Palos Park Women’s Club, and C.O.P.S. will also be offering a variety of menu items for sale including Sno-Cones, Sweet Corn on the Cob, and Hot Dogs. So bring your appetite because there’s something for everyone to eat and enjoy at the Autumn In The Park Food Court.
To work up your appetite, there are activities for all ages including a Petting Zoo, Pony Rides, Hayrack Rides, Jumpy Jump, Face Painting, Touch-a-Truck, Laser Tag, Crafts, a Giant Slide, and the very popular Euro Bungee. Sports Fans, stop by the Sports Cave to catch the scores of the College Football games. 93.9 MyFM will have a Road Show live from the fest from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. 103.5 KISS FM will also have a Road Show from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Be sure to check out their shows for fun games, activities, and give-aways. For those wishing to be in an indoor setting, the VFW will have “Carnival-Bingo” at 1:00 p.m. in the Recreation Center and a Raffle for fest-goers.
The Autumn In The Park Festival will feature a vast Arts Colony sponsored by both The McCord Gallery and Cultural Center and Palos Fine Arts from 12:30 to 6:00 p.m. These two community organizations will have a full lineup of demonstrations, displays, and shopping available for fest-goers. Be sure to visit the arts colony for the very popular Wine Tasting by Cooper’s Hawk Winery.
If you want to sit back and relax, or dance up a storm, we will have a great lineup of entertainment at the Autumn In The Park Festival. In addition to the two musical acts on Friday night, the main stage will be full of energy throughout Saturday. Listen to some good ol’ Rockin’ Blues as Skip Towne & The Greyhounds light up the Main Stage with their lively show. This year, we will welcome back the highly acclaimed Libido Funk Circus as the headline act of the festival. This highly energetic musical show has a regular following all over Chicagoland and is sure to delight fest-goers of all ages.
Parking is available at several off-site locations; Palos Park Metra Commuter Parking Lot at 123rd & 82nd Avenue, Palos Park Presbyterian Church at 12312 S. 88th Avenue, and the Village Courtyard at 8301 W. 123rd Street. To get back and forth from the Festival Grounds and your car is the Autumn In The Park Trolley- FREE to fest goers to get you to the fun quickly and safely. The Trolley Service will run on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., making stops every 10 minutes. Festival parking for Friday will be available on-site.
Please tell your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to come out to the Village of Palos Park’s Annual Autumn In The Park Festival. Information for the 2-day festival is available at the festival website at www.autumnintheparkfestival.org
