Batavia resident Lisa Page looks forward every year to attending the Windmill City Festival in town that remains a highlight for both her and her husband.

“We love this event. We come to it every year. I’ve come to this a least a dozen times,” Lisa Page said as she sat looking at the Depot Pond in downtown Batavia near the Peg Bond Center during the fest on Saturday. “It’s wonderful that it’s right here. Over the years, I think the music lineup gets better and better and it’s probably one of the main reasons I come.”

Over the weekend, the Batavia Park District rolled out the 47th annual Windmill City Festival in the city’s downtown.

Friday’s activities, which were set to go off at 5 p.m. and last until 11 p.m., never took place as officials were forced to cancel programs due to lightning spotted in the area as well as potentially damaging winds and rain.

Following the cancellation on Friday, the fest went on as normal on Saturday and Sunday.

Katie Burgess, director of creative development and community engagement for the Batavia Park District, spoke Friday about this year’s event and why it continues to have traction year after year.

“I think why the Windmill Fest remains popular is because this is our 47th year and you have grandparents and parents who are trying to bring their kids and their grandkids and it’s part of the fabric of Batavia,” she said. “It is a family tradition that generations come to and it’s something that families look forward to and say, ‘It’s something that we did as a child,’ and we have a lot of those nostalgic games that we’ve had for over 20 years.”

Saturday featured a full slate of activities including a pet competition on the main stage at noon, as well as a sidewalk chalk art contest offered later from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the South Riverwalk Plaza.

There was also a new football toss event held at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, along with the usual carnival, beer tent, food and the golf challenge held at the Depot Pond.

Page admitted that while she was awaiting the music, “I’m regretting now that I didn’t bring my dog to the pet contest. I should have looked at the schedule.”

Friends Megan Ostrander, 19, of Johnston, Iowa, and Emilie Jack, 20, of Batavia, both tried to land a golf ball on the small island green that floated about 30 yards from the hitting area during the golf challenge at the Depot Pond.

“I’ve done Top Golf before but I’m not good at regular golf,” Ostrander said. “I had to talk Emilie into trying this. I like to try new things. I’m looking forward to spending time with my best friend and I really like dogs, so I’m going to watch the show.”

Jack said she grew up in Batavia and has come many times to the Windmill City Festival.

“I went to local schools and over the years I love seeing the community come together. The pet show is definitely great and it’s really family-friendly for everybody,” she said. “Some of these events might not be for everybody but people can look at a dog and say, ‘That’s cool.'”

Dawn Interrante of St. Charles elected to enter her 17-year-old dog Libby, a Shih Tzu poodle mix, in the dog competition, and said this was actually her first time at the festival.

“I wish they had the oldest dog category but they don’t,” Interrante said. “She’s (Libby) going for the ‘Best Kisser’ part of the competition because she’s really good at it. We happened to be at the farmers market nearby and were walking through and saw this, and it was just sort of an impulse thing.”

David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.