Willow Fest, an annual carnival and car show in Willow Springs, begins Thursday.
The village head said she is sure there will be something for everyone every day of the festival.
“We’re very excited about it,” said president Melissa Neddermeyer. “The car show is on Thursday. Then, every night we have a live music line-up, we have two bands every night.” However, this does not include Thursday, the only evening with only one band.
“Friday will be country music, Saturday will be rock and current pop covers and Sunday is the fireworks display,” Neddermeyer said.
On top of all that, Thursday will also kick off the carnival and, for the first time since COVID-19, the beer garden will be back and there will be bingo games on Saturday and Sunday. In total, the head of the village said she expects crowds of thousands after it is completely back to normal.
“I would say between four days we’ll probably move anywhere from two to 4,000 people through the event,” she said.
The whole weekend started as a simple car show 14 years ago. However, when Neddermeyer took over in 2017, she said she immediately saw the potential for a bigger and more ambitious event. From there, it turned into a four-day festival.
“This is the fifth year for Willow Fest where it’s actually a four-day event,” she said.
Of course, then COVID-19 struck in 2020, canceling that year’s planned festival — and nearly every other festival in the area. Last year was the first year the organizers did anything together and, even then, Neddermeyer said he didn’t know what to expect.
“Last year, when we brought it back, we were in trouble because some events were postponed,” she said. “But we had a really good turnout last year, and so I’m hoping for another big turnout this year.”
In the past, the festival has been lucky, always falling on clear days, and this weekend looks no different.
Car enthusiasts can bring their cars to the car show and register the day of the event until noon, while $55 megapasses can be purchased on site for unlimited carnival rides.
“If anyone wants to check out more information, they can check out our village page, it’s all there,” Neddermeyer said. “We are excited about it.
Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for the Pioneer Press.
