PEORIA MAGAZINE June 2022

P L A Y I N G I N P E O R I A

A FESTIVAL BY ANY OTHER NAME Again, the calendar is chock full of fun all summer long

BY SCOTT FISHEL

T here’s something universal about summer fest iva ls. Whether you’re from a small town or the big city, there is likely a stomach-churning carnival ride somewhere in your past. Or a corn dog slathered in mustard. Or a funnel cake dustedwith powdered sugar and served on a paper plate. But all summer festivals are not created equal. Sometimes the only thing they have in common is “festival” in their name. The summer festival lineup here in central Illinois makes that abundantly clear. For example, the Illinois Oz Festival is planned for Aug. 13 in Mapleton, a tiny village of fewer than 500 on U.S. Route 24 in southern Peoria County. TheWizard of Oz? In Illinois? Clearly, Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore. “There used to be a regular fall festival here,” said Jim Robertson, executive director of the Hollis Park District, sponsor of the fantasy festival. “We

were looking to bring it back. Someone threw out the idea of a Wizard of Oz festival and we just went with it.” Judging by the event they’ve been putting on in Butler Haynes Park since 2010, you would think a tornado blew Mapleton over the rainbow. Robertson and his staff bring in a troupe of professional Oz characters from Indiana, and there is a real yellow brick road, a haunted forest, a cornfield (for the scarecrow), a witch’s castle, Professor Marvel’s wagon and a pin wheel marking the landing place of Dorothy’s house. Oz visitors also find trolley rides, a petting zoo, food ven dors, Oz merchandise and music. For the first three or four years, the event drewabout 500people. Robertson said. But it grew. One year, attendance swelled to nearly 5,000. “The police were not happy with me,” Robertson said, recalling the snarled traffic and limited parking. That high point has never been equaled and

annual attendance now hovers around a more manageable 1,500. Check the calendar and you’ l l discover all kinds of festivals around these parts. Like the Balloons Over 66 Festival Aug. 26–28 in Lincoln, a hot air balloon extravaganza. And the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, a summer-long Bloomington institution that has been bringing the Bard’s works to life in the heartland for 45 years. Way off on Oct. 8, the Big Picture Peoria Festival celebrates public art with food, education and hands-on activities for the entire family. There’s also the Canton Art on Main Festival (June 4-5), where visitors to the Fulton County town can view and purchase original art while enjoying food, wine and local music. If the environment is your thing, you might want to check out the Kickapoo Creek Festival atWildlifePrairiePark July 29-30. It features free workshops and camping, an evening bonfire, food and

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