Gurnee Days returned to Viking Park over the weekend, featuring a Sunday parade and family-friendly activities.
“Each year, Gurnee Days brings families of all ages together for a weekend of fun,” Gurnee Park District Executive Director Susie Kuruvilla said. “We are proud to be a part of the memories that are made each summer.
“Whether it’s listening to live music, watching some of the best fireworks in Lake County, or marching along with the parade, there is no better sense of community than at Gurnee Days,” she said.
The festival grounds at Viking Park featured a Kids Zone. The Gurnee Exchange Club offered a rib fest, and a rib-eating contest was featured. There were also other attractions, including a community art show in Viking Park’s Dance Hall, and vendor booths from local businesses.
New this year was the Teen Vibe Zone, with dodgeball, music and board games. There was live music and Saturday fireworks, plus a bags tournament. Sunday featured a car show and parade. Gurnee Days also partnered with the Gurnee Farmers Market on a festival venue.
Tushar Unhavane of Gurnee, the parent of Sohum, 9, a rising fifth-grader, seemed thrilled to see Sohum do his first in a series of backflips on an aerial jumping attraction.
When asked how it felt to go upside down, Sohum said, “Scary,” but, “It was really fun.”
“This is cool,” Tushar Unhavane said. “This is a great time for a family to come enjoy on the weekend.”
Karina Jenkins, 9, a rising fourth-grader from Gurnee, also went on the aerial jumping apparatus as a summer memory maker before school starts.
“This is about lifetime memories, and Gurnee actually provides that — the things that remind me of when I was a little kid, when we could run the streets freely and we could just play,” Karina’s father Keith said. “Gurnee provides that for us, which is fantastic.”
Woodland School District 50 colleagues volunteered as a team to staff a concession stand. Sales of ears of buttered corn were brisk. Dawna Choe of Gurnee, District 50’s director of transportation, was among the volunteers taking orders from customers.
“It’s our entire administration team, and we come out every year and help donate our time and support our community,” she said.
Taking a whirl on the colorful bumper cars were Addy Kumar, 3, of Gurnee, her mother Anita Shaw and family friend Arya Singh, 3, of Waukegan.
Lake County, “is a beautiful place to live in and the people are also nice,” Arya’s mother Sandhya said.
Austin Ayala, 6, a rising first-grader from Gurnee, went down the large inflatable slide. Mother Sinai said Austin starts school later this month.
“Gurnee Days is the last bit of fun we get to have locally before he goes back to school,” she said. “He’s having a blast.”
