Frankfort festival offers rides, arts and crafts vendors
Sisters Amelia and Amanda Stewart said they have grown up with the Frankfort Fall Festival, coming each year with their parents when they were little.
“We’ve definitely seen it grow over the years,” Amelia, of Orland Park, said.
They were among the thousands who were there this past holiday weekend as the three-day fest marked its 49th year with an array of arts and crafts vendors, carnival rides and musical entertainment in the beer and wine garden as well as at Breidert Green.
For many attendees, the three-day event, like the Labor Day holiday itself, marks the end of summer and the start of fall, although, following a string of more fall-like weather, fest-goers were able to enjoy more summer-like temperatures.
Organized by the Frankfort Chamber of Commerce, the roots of the event can be traced to 1935, when a small community picnic was held, featuring a live band, dancing, baseball game and fireworks, to raise money for the volunteer fire department, according to the chamber.
The festival in its current iteration began to take shape in 1968, according to the chamber, when village officials organized an event over the Labor Day weekend that year to celebrate Illinois’ sesquicentennial.
Last year, according to the chamber, more than 250,000 people came to the Fall Festival.
For this year’s fest, a poster designed by McKenzie Dickerson, a sophomore at Lincoln-Way West High School, was selected from submissions as the official fest poster.
Her work depicted a couple in formal wear dancing next to the Grainery.
Amelia Stewart said aside from the live music and food selection, her favorite part of the fest is the variety of craft vendors.
“I’m always amazed at how creative people are, and I am always able to pick up something for my mom’s birthday (in October),” she said.
Alan Jorgensen and his wife, Sheila, said for the last few years they’ve been able to complete all their Christmas shopping at the fest, picking over selections of artwork, jewelry and home decor items.
“It usually takes us two days here to get it done, but everything here is handmade and so creative,” Sheila Jorgensen said.
Alan said that he’s “not a big fan of shopping,” but that “doing this now means we’re not trudging through a mall in November or December.”
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