Community Corner
St. John of the Cross Festival: Your Complete Guide
Enjoy rides, music, food and more at the four-day festival, which runs Thursday, June 27, through Sunday, June 30, in the St. John's parking lot.
Nothing says summer like a carnival.
Western Springs will be hosting its largest entry into the summer event circuit this week with the return of the St. John of the Cross Festival, a fundraiser to help support the parish’s operations.
The four-day festival, which starts Thursday, June 27, in the St. John’s parking lot, has games, music, rides and all the other good stuff that makes a carnival so much fun. You can pay by the ride or purchase mega passes that entitle you to unlimited rides all four days for $45 in advance at the Parish Center or $60 at the door.
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We’ve got all the details to help you plan your carnival outing.
Festival Hours
- Thursday: 5 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
- Friday: 5 p.m.-midnight
- Saturday: 1 p.m.-midnight
- Sunday: Noon-10 p.m.
Entertainment
Thursday, June 27
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- 6-6:30 pm. Battle of the Bands Winner
- 7-10 p.m. Maggie Speaks No matter your favorite decade of music, Maggie Speaks has you covered with a catalogue stretching from the 1950s to today.
Friday, June 28
- 6-8 p.m. August Son
- 8:30-11:30 p.m. Trippin’ Billies This Dave Matthews Band cover group has a passionate following of its own who come out in droves to hear their rootsy, jazz-inflected rock.
Saturday, June 29
- 6-8 p.m. Eleventh Hour
- 8:30-11:30 p.m. Infinity Classic rock fans will rejoice at Infinity’s tributes to Bon Jovi, Led Zepplin, Queen and Journey favorites.
Sunday, June 30
- 5-6:45 p.m. On the House
- 7-9:30 p.m. Suburban Cowboys Bring out your hats and boots for country night, featuring Suburban Cowboys and their danceable down-home tunes.
Food
- Aurelio’s Pizza will be offering cheese, sausage and pepperoni pizza.
- Uncle Bub’s is serving its signature pulled pork and pulled chicken sandwiches, as well as coleslaw and mac and cheese.
- Buona Beef plans to satisfy your Italian beef cravings with sandwiches. Hot dogs and chips round out its menu.
- Vendors will also offer a variety of frozen treats.
Oasis Activities
Take a breather from the festivities by stopping by the bake sale, face painting and bingo (with prizes!) taking place in Hynes Hall, south of the big tent. Bingo games will take place from 7-8 p.m. Friday, 2-3 p.m. Saturday and 1-3 p.m. Sunday.
An Extra-Special Preview
Children and young adults with disabilities from Helping Hand Center, SEASPAR and Seguin will get to experience the carnival before anyone else—and for free—from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday.
“Since this is a church sponsored event, we wanted to do something to give back to the community,” Co-Chair of the fest’s Planning Committee Dan Madden said in a statement. “When we contracted with the carnival company, we decided to work together to host the special preview. Having fun and serving others do not have to be mutually exclusive.”
For more information about the St. John of the Cross Festival, call 708-292-1100 or visiting http://www.sjcfest.com. St. John of the Cross is located at 5005 Wolf Road in Western Springs.
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