Residents revel in last days of summer during Northbrook Days

Wearing a lemon festive shirt, Ron Bernardi of Northbrook Sunset Foods volunteered at the Northbrook Days’s renowned lemonade stand where lemons are squeezed on the spot for juice mixed in with sugar and served with ice.

“It’s wonderful to have the community get together,” Bernardi said.

Weather for most of the festival was sunny but with periods of drizzle over the weekend. On Friday night, Matt Settler of Buffalo Grove, Northbrook Days co-chair, said he was delighted with the attendance and estimated that, “the hope would be about 30,000 (attendees), if not more.”

For the third year, the west commuter Metra lot in downtown Northbrook accommodated Northbrook Days for five consecutive festival days starting Aug. 2.

The Northbrook Civic Foundation, a nonprofit volunteer organization, produces Northbrook Days as its sole fundraiser.

Since 1950, the foundation has given back more than $3 million via scholarships and grants.

“I would love to see us raise about $100,000 if we could,” Settler said. “The Civic Foundation provides this (Northbrook Days Festival). One of the big things that we’re trying to really push is that the Northbrook Civic Foundation, a nonprofit volunteer organization, puts on Northbrook Days for the community.”

Previous festival venues included the west side of Northbrook Court and for decades at Village Green Park. The Northbrook Park District has not allowed Northbrook Days to take place at Village Green Park for reasons including protecting the baseball field surface and root system of the park’s mature trees.

But, “it works here,” Settler said of the parking lot. “I say all the time that like, ‘Would we love to be back in the park because it’s iconic? Yes.’

“But it works here and we’re getting people,” Settler said.

Security included a police monitoring tower and staffed gates to check bags as people entered the free admission event.

Saturday featured the complimentary Special Friends Morning on a registration basis. Amenities included carnival rides, sponsor booths and daily live entertainment.

“These are the good days,” said Jaik Willis of Chicago’s Roscoe Village who performed on the Friday main stage with bassist Ola Timothy of Chicago.

A regular vendor at Northbrook Days is the Northbrook Dairy Queen which is celebrating its 50th year in business. Owner Jenn Schubert Spencer, of Kenosha, Wisconsin, said she expects to sell the DQ and hopes to close on the business sale in the weeks before this autumn to new ownership.

Spencer wore a T-shirt that read on the back, “I make fan food, not fast food.”

“I grew up with it,” Spencer said, referencing 2023 possibly being the last year of working Northbrook Days as DQ owner. “It’s bittersweet for me.”

Kirstie Adams, of Northbrook, attended the festival with her spouse, David Adams, and their children Karina, 11; a rising sixth-grader, Ethan, 7; a rising second-grader and Jack, 6; a rising first-grader. Adams noted that summer break is winding down as many local schools resume classes later this month.

“Once we hit August, it’s time to start thinking about school and doctor’s appointments and what forms (to fill out) and clothes,” Adams said.

Lucy Stahl, 4, of Northbrook, took her first Ferris wheel ride on Friday, accompanied by her mother Kat Stahl. Lucy’s mother spoke of reaching to touch the sky while the two rode with a bird’s-eye view.

“She loves it,” Kat Stahl said about Lucy’s Ferris wheel experience. “You can see the whole town, it’s awesome.”

Stahl said she was grateful for the volunteers who put on Northbrook Days.

“It’s something that makes Northbrook really special,” she said.

Learn about the Northbrook Civic Foundation at http://northbrookcivic.com.

More than 100 volunteers gave of their time. This year was the 99th festival, Settler said. Settler promised, “a lot of surprises” for 2024.

“We’ll be doing some countdown to 100 this year,” Settler said of Northbrook Days Festival 2024. “It’s kind of crazy, it’s kind of nuts.”

Karie Angell Luc is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.