5 things to do in the Illinois Valley: Labor Day weekend features car shows, a fair and festival

Jan 23, 2024

1 - Cruise Night: Streator’s downtown will be hoppin’ Saturday. Cruise Night, which features food, vendors, music and of course classic cars on display and cruising the streets, is scheduled 5 to 10 p.m. A car show will take place before Cruise Night from noon to 3 p.m. at City Park. Downtown businesses will host activities Friday, centered around a 1950s retro theme. A DJ will be in the 400 block of East Main Street from 1 to 5 p.m. There also be a twist and hula hoop contests as well as an award given to the person best dressed in ‘50s or ‘60s attire. The Streator Area Chamber of Commerce is encouraging businesses to stay open until 6 p.m. Jammin at the Clock will feature a performance by Quentin Flagg from 6 to 8 p.m. at Heritage Park. The Fedoras are scheduled to perform at 8 p.m. at the 122 Club, 122 N. Park St. A second annual pre-cruise show is scheduled at 5 p.m. Friday at Bill Walsh Streator, 2330 N. Bloomington St.

2 - Mendota Tri-County Fair: The fair runs Thursday through Sunday at the Tri-County Fairgrounds, 405 First Ave. A kids fun zone will be set up 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The T&C Rodeo will take place 7 p.m. Thursday, followed by fireworks. The ISP tractor pulls are set 7 p.m. Friday and a Mega K Motocross is set 6 p.m. Saturday. A demolition derby is scheduled 5 p.m. Sunday, followed by another fireworks display at 9 p.m. There also is a petting zoo, pony rides, chainsaw artist, beer garden and live bands. Admission and parking is free. Grandstand admission is $10 and kids zone armbands are $10 for one day and $20 for unlimited. Go to https://www.facebook.com/mendotatricountyfair for more information.

The Toluca Labor Day Festival features all sorts of games and activities, as well as a carnival Friday through Monday. (Michael Urbanec - [email protected])

3 - Toluca Labor Day Festival: The festival begins Friday and runs through Monday. A notable highlight is the state’s largest men’s and women’s bocce ball tournament. The women’s tournament begins at 11:30 a.m., the men’s tournament at noon and the youth tournament at 12:15 p.m. on South Main Street by Memorial Circle. The carnival will be open 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then noon to 5 p.m. Monday. The parade is scheduled for 2 p.m. The festival will have live entertainment each night and a number of other activities. Go to https://www.tolucalaborday.com/ for more information and full details on events.

4 - Naplate car show: The Naplate Volunteer Fire Department is hosting its first car show 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Vittone Park, 1801 W. Ottawa Ave. The car show will feature food, a 50/50 raffle, door prizes, a DJ and awards. The entry fee is $10 per car. Go to the Naplate Volunteer Fire Department’s Facebook page for more details.

5 - Teen game night: Peru Public Library, 1409 11th St., will host the event 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday. There will be a special guest speaker and video games available for Xbox360, Wii, Wii U and PlayStation 4, four gaming screens, 10 PCs for interactive gameplay as well as classic board games and card games. Bring your own teen rated games and for more information about this free event visit perulibrary.org or call 815-223-0229.

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