Mary Schuenemann of Winfield always looks forward to the final days of August and beginning of September to gather with others and watch her dog Bookin, a golden retriever, do some tricks for folks looking to enjoy one last summer bash.
“This is something we’ve been doing now for the last four years or so and while we go to a lot of shows the Ultimate Air Dogs they have here in Yorkville is one of the best,” she said as Bookin waited to take a few practice jumps during the event at the annual Yorkville Hometown Days Festival. “Trying to get a golden retriever out of the water isn’t easy. They just love jumping in.”
The city of Yorkville offered its annual Yorkville Hometown Days Festival from Thursday to Sunday, a bash held at Beecher Community Park that offered music, food, carnival rides and plenty of entertainment.
Community engagement and marketing coordinator for Yorkville Katelyn Gregory said this was the 31st year the event was offered and it continues to be something that weaves the fabric of the community together.
“This is definitely kind of a homecoming and a reunion of sorts for some people,” Gregory said. “We do tend to see a lot of returning people who have either grown up here in Yorkville or have family here. It is absolutely a homecoming event of sorts and it brings people back to their roots. It’s a wonderful tradition that we like to carry on.”
New this year was a Brews and Barbecue event offered by Fox Republic Brewing and Station One Smokehouse, both based in Yorkville.
“This replaced our traditional craft beer tasting,” Gregory said, with participants getting a personalized flight paddle of a couple two-ounce pours of beer made locally by Fox Republic and two tasting-sized portions of barbecue from Station One.
“This is the first time we are actually featuring a local brewery and a local smokehouse and this is truly a local one-of-a-kind event,” Gregory said.
Events at the fest also included a touch-a-truck area, the Ultimate Air Dogs contest and a car show.
Jeff Hahn of Yorkville and his wife Pam were once again offering their Home Plate Hot Dogs at the festival and noted they have been a part of the local event “for probably 30 years.”
“On a good weekend with good weather like this we’ll probably sell anywhere from 1,000 to 1,200 hot dogs,” Jeff Hahn said Saturday. “I know people think, well, a hot dog is a hot dog, but I like to say that ours are made with love and eating them outdoors adds to the flavor, I think.”
Steve Christensen of Millington was showing off custom-made ink pens for sale at the event on Saturday.
“Four years ago, I retired and was looking for something else to do and got into making these pens,” he said. “We always do well here and there are a lot of other nice vendors you meet.”
Bri Janovjak of Montgomery came with her daughters to the fest and said the kids like the rides, “but I come for the dog show and a bucket of fries.”
“I’m pretty easy to please and I feel like they always have a good crowd here and there is a good community atmosphere,” she said.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
