DDC_DC Magazine_063021

ROBIN’S NEST BOOKSHOPPE

TURNS THE PAGES OF READERS’ IMAGINATION ELLESON’S BAKERY OFFERS NEON SMILES SUMMER EVENTS ARE BACK IN DEKALB COUNTY

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2 | June 2021 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

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INSIDE 2021 WOMEN OF THE YEAR Two honored by DeKalb Women’s Club.....................6 ROBIN’S NEST BOOKSHOPPE Turning pages of readers’ imagination......................8 HEIRLOOM ESTATES Bringing a personal touch to estate sales.................12 MILITARY MEMORIAL Plaza to be built near DeKalb Elks Lodge.................14 ELLESON’S BAKERY Shop offers neon smiles across generations............16 SUMMER EVENTS ARE BACK On the calendar in DeKalb County...........................20

Project Manager: Lisa Angel Layout & Design: Julie Barichello Photography: Jessi Haish LaRue, DeKalb County Visitors Bureau and Jennifer Taylor Writers: Jessi Haish LaRue and Katie Finlon Articles and advertisements are property of Shaw Media.

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4 | June 2021 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

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DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | June 2021 | 5

DeKalb Women’s Club 2021

WOMEN

GING SMITH

of the

YEAR

LINDA WAHLSTROM

At its May meeting, the DeKalb Women’s Club (DWC) announced Ging Smith and Linda Wahlstrom as its 2021 Women of the Year.

Criteria for the award include having provided exemplary service to the club and support of its projects, which focus on support of education and the DeKalb community, according to a news release.

“This year’s recipients not only helped the club through the past year’s challenges, they have kept the club strong for years through their leadership, creativity, and hard work,” said club co-president, Angela Johansson in a statement. “Ging and Linda have given so much of themselves to make sure that the DeKalb Women’s Club is able to continue its mission of community support.”

Smith and Wahlstrom were also credited with their ongoing efforts at recruitment and community outreach as well as their exemplary service as officers and committee chairwomen.

6 | June 2021 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

Founded in 1896, the DeKalb Women’s Club has a long tradition of community contributions including the purchase and donation of Annie’s Woods in 1912 for use as a public park and the restoration and furnishing of the Little House on the Ellwood House Grounds. Currently, the group presents annual scholarships to DeKalb High School students to attend Kishwaukee College and Northern Illinois University. Other organizations that benefit from the club include the Salvation Army, the DeKalb County Nursing and Rehab Center, the DeKalb Library, Heifer International and Operation Smiles.

The DeKalb Women’s Club meets at 1 p.m. the first Friday of every month October through December and February through May. For membership information, call 779-2122042.

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Robin’s Nest Bookshoppe Turning pages of readers’ imagination By: Jessi Haish LaRue

obbi Hays is challenging people who don’t love reading to stop into her DeKalb book store.

“You just haven’t found the book that captures your imagination yet,” she said. “There’s a book for everybody. Let us help you find the book that will capture your imagination. It’s worth the hunt.”

Robin’s Nest Bookshoppe, 218 E. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb, is an independent boutique bookstore. It’s also the latest venture for Bobbi and Tim Hays, owners of Barb City Bagels, who put their heads together during the quarantine to come up with this new store.

It’s been a dream of Bobbi’s since she was a child.

“At 7 or 8 [years old,] I told my mom that I thought bookstores should be a place where people could come and get a book, something to drink, and eat and sit,” she said.

“She told me, ‘well you can’t do that because it would wreck the books, people will spill things on them.’”

8 | June 2021 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

She told her mother that people who truly love books wouldn’t wreck them. Years later, the big book chains came out with the same concept.

“My mom said, ‘that was your idea! We should have done that!’” she said. “Now, I am.”

In the last year, Hays and her husband Tim worked together to make this dream a reality. She said she was the “dreamer” and he was doing the practical side of the research and business planning.

Together, they came up with Robin’s Nest Bookshoppe, a store name that plays off of her legal name, Robin, a name that she’s never identified with before.

“My husband said ‘OK, we’re finally going to put some use to that name you’ve never used,’” she recalled with a laugh.

The Hayses opened Barb City Bagels, previously Chesapeake Bagel Bakery, in DeKalb in 2014 with a dream of being small business owners. She admits that opening and operating a restaurant or bookstore is never an easy task. But to the owners, it meant pursuing their own dream, alongside some of their now adult children.

They both previously worked as teachers, and now reap the rewards of self-employment as well as working with family. They are passionate about being involved in the community and giving back to others.

“

There’s a book for everybody.

Let us help you find the book that will capture your imagination. It’s worth the hunt.”

Seeing other people find joy while strolling in the shop and picking up a book has made the work leading up to this moment worthwhile for Hays, she said.

“The world, especially right now, is ugly and crazy in a lot of ways, and if we can find joy in the simple things, and if this bookstore can be part of that, that’s fantastic,” she said. “That’s what we’re here for.”

Hays acknowledged that DeKalb has seen a fair amount of bookstores come and go, and she’s actively taking steps to make sure that her shop thrives. Most importantly, she wants the community involved with stocking the shelves. Right now, the store is very open and has room for even more bookshelves.

“We want this to be a community bookstore, we want the community to tell us what they want,” she said.

They have a running list of suggestions from patrons that include book titles, authors, and genres. She also plans to feature books written by local authors.

They’ve already starting purchasing titles from that community list, and new books arrive almost daily. She hopes the bookstore will grow into the community’s need for one.

DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | June 2021 | 9

“We will fill the floors with those names and books,” she said. “We want it to be where the community says, ‘that’s where we go for the books we want, not where New York told us what books we want.’”

A special children’s section in the back of the store, which you can only access by walking through a Narnia-like wardrobe, features bookshelves at children’s eye level. Hays plans to hold story time and other events for children. For the adults, she hopes to hold poetry readings and host book clubs in the very near future.

“I just want to help bring enjoyment of reading to other people,” she said.

While the bookstore has its fair share of new books and current titles, Hays also buys and sells gently-used books.

“We have gently-used books for very low prices so that anybody can come in and buy a really nice book, and they don’t have to feel bad about it,” she said.

The community has been very welcoming and responsive, Hays said, and she hopes they can continue to serve the community’s reading needs for a very long time.

10 | June 2021 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

Reading has always brought her joy, she said, and she hopes others will experience the same thing. But don’t ask her what her favorite book is.

“That’s like asking me who my favorite child is! That’s not possible,” she said.

Although she does love the mystery genre the most. Her main goal is getting books into people’s hands.

“When we teach people to read, when we give people the ability to read, no longer do they have to rely on what someone is telling them, they can understand and make decisions for themselves,” she said.

“The world, whether it be our community in DeKalb, or in our state, or country, or world at large, becomes a better place because people then are making educated decisions based on what they know.”

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DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | June 2021 | 11

BRINGING A PERSONAL TOUCH TO SORTING AND SELLING ESTATES By: Jessi Haish LaRue

n heirloom, by definition, is a family possession handed down from generation to generation.

The same could be said of Heirloom Estate Sales, a business based out of Sycamore, and owned by Rob and Cris Frye of DeKalb.

They purchased the company from Cris’ aunt, Pam Faivre, and Faivre’s sister Mary Martin about five years ago.

“She’s the one who got me into antiques and auctioning when I was a kid,” Cris said of Faivre.

Cris started by working for them and holding sales when Faivre was unable, and it eventually blossomed into Cris and Rob purchasing the business, even though they also work full-time jobs.

Cris is a hairdresser of more than 30 years

12 | June 2021 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

and runs a beauty shop out of their home.

Rob has worked for Johnson Controls, now Adient, for more than 30 years. However, they enjoy working estate sales and the bond it allows them to have with their local community. They see themselves in the estate sale business for a long time.

“This started as part time, a sale here and there, and now we do one or two sales every weekend,” Rob said. “It morphed very quickly. We got a lot of push locally from people who wanted this.”

Cris even offers services for valuations through the DeKalb County courthouse and estate hearings. They both graduated from Sycamore High School and currently live in DeKalb.

“We’re local and very much in tune with the community,” Rob said.

They’ve found happiness and success in their venture over the years, but their latest challenge has been getting back to “normal” following a year of shut downs due to COVID. They’ve recently returned to in-person sales, usually located in the home of the seller, with strict mask guidelines and social distancing in place.

“We experimented with online sales but it is a lot of work,” Cris said. “We’re happy to be doing in-person sales again.”

Rob said about 95% of their sales are held within the home of the seller. Heirloom Estate Sales steps in to organize a sale when there’s typically a death in the family, someone moving into assisted living, or even just downsizing homes or moving out of state. They stress that they are an estate sale company, not an auction company, and each item in a sale is individually priced.

The owners and employees of Heirloom know it’s an intimate job, as they are hired to go through someone’s belongings.

“We’re very selective on who works for us, so this is really a family business,” Rob said.

“You’re going through people’s lives. So often you get to know people for who they were just by going through their homes.”

Rob highlighted his sister Angie Cano and Cindy Montoya as their “backbone” employees.

“Those are the two people that we count on to step up and run the show,” he said. “We don’t have to worry.”

Cris said that although both she and her husband were born and raised here, they still meet so many new, wonderful people through their business.

Although there’s a lot of emotions involved, the Fryes try to take that out of the equation for the homeowner.

“It makes it easier because we can go in and go through things and take the emotion out of it,” Cris said. “We don’t have the emotional ties to the stuff. But it is an entire array and we deal with a lot of emotions.”

However, working in such an intimate business has allowed the Fryes to get to know people on another level.

“We have met amazing people through our business, from the people we’ve held sales for, to the customers who shop there,” she said.

COVID closures also allowed time for Cris and Rob to work on projects at their building, located at 560 DeKalb Avenue in Sycamore.

This building allows for Heirloom to combine multiple, smaller sales, especially for people who have items to sell but not enough to host their own sale. It’s also an option for people who can’t hold a sale at a place like a retirement home. Between this building and in-home sales, they sometimes have one or two sales every weekend.

“We enjoy doing it.” Rob said. “We enjoy the people we meet. We’ve gained friends through the people we’ve met.”

They have also spent a lot of time educating

themselves on current trends and the market, which is ever-changing, Cris said.

“The trends change quick,” she said. “Two years ago it was Joanna Gaines, now it’s very mid-century. What was hot two, five years ago, now is not.”

With the changing trends, they’ve also seen a change of audience at their sales. While they have a lot of familiar-faced regulars, they’re seeing a younger generation, the “minimalist generation,” as Rob put it, is out shopping as well. That even applies to the Fryes’ children.

“We love when young couples come in when they buy a house,” Cris said. “What we are seeing is that they want an experience. With thrifting being so hot, I think it’s catching on in our industry as well.”

The latest “hot” item? Antique toys.

“You don’t have to promote that, it promotes itself,” Cris said of old toys. “1980s and older.

Everybody wants what they had when they were a kid, and they want their kids to like it, too.”

And whatever one may be looking for, they usually have it. Rob says they sell everything from antiques to cleaning supplies, to cars and even boats. However, as expansive as their sales may be, they’ll always be in DeKalb County.

“We’re staying right where we are at,” Rob said. “We have outstanding customers, and a huge following on Facebook. There is more than enough business here for us.”

DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | June 2021 | 13

d d g d d

MILITARY

MEMORIAL

TO BE BUILT NEAR DEKALB ELKS LODGE By: Katie Finlon

D

g eKalb Elks Lodge 765 has approved a proposal for a Military Veterans Memorial to be located in DeKalb, lodge members say.

According to a news release from the lodge, the new memorial honoring military and Elk members in the northern Illinois area will be constructed on the north part of the property belonging to the Elks Lodge, 209 S. Annie Glidden Road.

The concept for this memorial came from Elks and American Legion member Michael Embrey, who also is a United States Air Force veteran. He said this will be the first memorial in the country to include

14 | June 2021 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

all six branches of military service in the U.S., including Space Force, and that was intentional to include the newest branch in designing the memorial.

“Because no one has yet really acknowledged Space Force as the newest branch of military,” Embrey said. “ ... I thought it was kind of interesting. We should acknowledge it because that’s part of the new generation of what they’ll have to deal with and what’s going to happen.”

A rendering of the memorial shows nine flags including the Army, Navy, Marine, Coast Guard, Air Force, Space Force, POWMIA and American flags, and an Elks flag.

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This area will be branded as the “Plaza of Flags.”

Each of the flags and poles will be available to be sponsored by an individual, family, company or organization. There will be a bronze plaque to acknowledge the sponsor in front of each flag. This lifetime sponsorship is $500 for pole/flag. Two poles and flags have had sponsor interest so far.

In front of the flags will be a large brick area featuring inscribed bricks to honor both military veterans and Elks members who are deceased, living or in active duty.

Four by 8-inch bricks cost $100 and 8-by8-inch bricks cost $150. Companies and organizations can purchase a larger brick to honor all DeKalb County veterans.

“You’ll be able to come show your grandkids where Uncle Tom’s brick is,” Embrey said. “... That is a lifetime memorial.”

Along with honoring area military veterans, Embrey said he sees the memorial being a tourist attraction for DeKalb and a welcome for visitors and new Northern Illinois University students coming into town from the Interstate 88 exit on Annie Glidden Road.

The project is expected to be completed this summer, Embrey said.

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SHOP OFFERS NEON SMILES ACROSS GENERATIONS By: Jessi Haish LaRue

16 | June 2021 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

ervice with a smile and a smiley face cookie. That’s what Elleson’s Bakery has been serving since 1987.

Elleson’s Bakery, 344 W. State Street in Sycamore, has long been known for its assorted pastries, donuts, pies, cinnamon bread and decorated cookies. Some people know the bakery for its booths that sit right inside the shop’s front windows.

But it’s the neon yellow smiley face cookies that always seem to leave a lasting impression, said owner Ken Elleson.

“I used to give little kids with sad faces a smiley face cookie,” he said. “People come up to me now and say ‘I remember you! You gave me a smiley face cookie!’ And now they have kids of their own.”

Some of those “kids” even order the famous cookies for their own weddings. It’s all in the family formula, he said.

Elleson has been working with family formulas, not recipes, for as long as he can remember.

“Recipes are cooking, adding flavors,” he explained..

“Baking is more like chemistry because every ingredient has a reaction, a purpose. If it’s just a little bit off, it’s not good.”

The long line of family bakers goes back to his great great grandfather, who started a bakery in Davenport, IA, in 1897. A photo of his relative hangs proudly in the lobby of the Sycamore bakery. His parents had a shop in Morris where he learned the trade. He went on his own in 1979.

DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | June 2021 | 17

“We’re like farmers, we go way back,” Elleson said.

The same still rings true for his family today. His grandfather, parents, aunts and uncles have all owned and operated bakeries. He has three brothers that own bakeries. Here in Sycamore, his wife and children work with him.

He’s preparing his sons, David and Andrew, to take over the Sycamore shop, and he hopes to retire in the next few years.

“You just do it,” Elleson said of his schedule, which involves going in at midnight each night to start baking. “My dad always told me ‘you get out what you put in.’ If you work hard, they’ll treat you good. I guess that’s why I work seven days a week.”

Things have changed since he first started, but the concept is the same, he said. He stressed that everything is scratch made.

“Over the years you have to adapt,” he said.

“We used to get lard from pig farms, eggs from chicken farms but now there’s rules and you can’t do that anymore. We’ve had to alter a little bit but all the formulas are handed down.”

While they serve bakery favorites such as donuts and bread, their most popular item is their “world famous cinnamon bread.” His first customer at his original shop in Kewanee drives to Sycamore just to pick up loaves of the cinnamon bread.

“Stuff like that just keeps you going,” he said.

“We really do use the best ingredients. We still bake the way my grandfather did. Everything is handmade, fresh and no preservatives. We’re just old fashioned, we’re the real McCoys.”

However, he said the industry is somewhat of a “dying breed.”

“We do everything, we’re the manufacturer,” he said. “We’re not a store where you take a product out of a cardboard box. It’s hard work and sometimes a crummy life because you do work nights. But we’re proud of our work.”

Bonnie Boan has worked at the bakery for more than a decade, and does “everything but the baking,” she said.

“Ken is a really nice guy, a sweetheart,” she said.

“This place is very family oriented and you really get to know people.”

Elleson’s first bakery may have been in Kewanee, but he always wanted to be in Sycamore. Once the opportunity to purchase his current building came up, he jumped the chance. He still thanks Clifford Danielson, Betsy Smith and Hays Knodle for helping him secure the loan for the building, where he’s been ever since.

He said he owes everything to those three people.

“I was 28 [years old] and didn’t have a dime,” he said. “They took me to the bank. By the time I was back in Kewanee, the phone was ringing and it was ‘you got the loan!’”

18 | June 2021 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

Elleson said he has always loved Sycamore, and fondly remembers the early days, which featured downtown businesses such as Henderson’s and Ace Hardware.

“You could not find a parking spot in downtown Sycamore back then, you were just driving all around,” he said.

He said while Sycamore has been a loyal location, he’s always happy to have met so many regulars from Genoa, DeKalb, and beyond. They even have regulars that visit from southern Illinois and Wisconsin.

“I’ve had some great friends and met a lot of great people here,” he said. “I’ve had some great employees here. I don’t have anything bad or negative to say about this town. It’s just a great place to raise a family and they’ve always treated me well; they’ve supported me.”

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Elleson gave back to his community the best way he knows how: through his baking. In early 2020, grocery stores were running low on essential items such as baked bread. Elleson started baking 100 loaves of bread a day and charged just $1 per loaf to cover his cost of ingredients.

“That just shows how I feel about Sycamore,” he said. “You have to give back.”

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DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | June 2021 | 19

SUMMER

EVENTS ARE

20 | June 2021 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

BACK

IN DEKALB COUNTY By: Jessi Haish LaRue

A

s COVID-19 related restrictions ease, DeKalb County is slowly returning to “normal,” and with it comes a variety of fun summer events.

“Everyone is going to try to go full-steam ahead,” said Katherine McLaughlin, the sales and marketing coordinator for DeKalb County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

Most events will be held outside, offering hand washing and sanitizing stations, and overall, everyone is looking forward to the future, she said.

“Everyone wants to be out and doing something,” McLaughlin said. “And people feel more safe and comfortable outside.”

McLaughlin encourages DeKalb County residents to explore their “backyard” this summer for good food, live music, and outdoor fun.

“Explore where we are,” she said. “We have so much to offer that people don’t even realize. Our county is large. We have a lot of different towns and each community offers something. We should all come together and support each other.”

Some new changes to events include this marking the first summer that the Egyptian Theatre will be open with programming since the theatre opened in 1929. This is due to the recent addition of air conditioning for the first time since the theatre opened. Because of this, the Egyptian Theatre and Corn Fest are excited to move the long-running Corn Fest Community Stage from outside to the Egyptian Theatre stage inside. This will provide an amazing opportunity to showcase even more local talent during the weekend of Corn Fest. There will be 21 different acts this year representing all types of music, dance, theatre, and more. Performance groups from throughout DeKalb County and from Northern Illinois University will grace the Egyptian Theatre stage during the weekend. These performances are free and open to the public. The complete schedule can be found on the Egyptian Theatre website at www.egyptiantheatre.org and on the Corn Fest website at cornfest.com.

“We are so excited to welcome the Corn Fest Community Stage into the Egyptian Theatre,” said Egyptian Theatre Executive Director Alex Nerad.

“This will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase the recent improvements to the Egyptian including new restrooms, concessions, expanded lobby space, and air conditioning! This enhancement to Corn Fest weekend is just another reason to come experience what Downtown DeKalb has to offer during the festival.”

This will also be the first year that Corn Fest will have advance online purchase of their soundstage passes. “We felt this was the perfect time to ease the lines at the gates for a smooth flow into the soundstage area” stated Corn Fest Chairperson Lisa Angel. “We will also have the option of using credit cards to purchase your beverage tickets once inside which we haven’t had before.” Tickets will be available to purchase on cornfest.com at the beginning of July. Advance purchase of a weekend soundstage pass will be $20 and single day $8 until Aug. 1st. After that date, weekend passes will be $30 and single day will be $10. The headliners this year will be 7th Heaven on Friday night, HiInfidelity on Saturday and Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry on Sunday. For the full music lineup visit cornfest.com or visit their Facebook page at DeKalb Corn Fest.

DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | June 2021 | 21

The DeKalb County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau also recently launched the free tourism app “Out & About DeKalb County,” which can be downloaded onto a cell phone or tablet via Google Play or the Apple App Store. The app includes self-guided tours of popular locations within the county, including the Egyptian Theatre. New sites will be added to the app frequently, McLaughlin said. Visit www.dekalbcountycvb.com for a complete list of county summer events to see what is new and exciting to explore.

Below are some of the events to enjoy in DeKalb County this summer:

JUNE

“MUSIC IN THE PARK” CONCERT SERIES Downtown Shabbona Free live music will be featured at the gazebo near Sandwich’s Opera House every Wednesday through August 25. Food trucks will be available during the concerts.

“MUSIC IN THE PARK” CONCERT SERIES Dee Palmer Band Shell, Hopkins Park in DeKalb DeKalbMunicipalBand.com Every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. from June through August 17, the DeKalb Municipal Band will perform concerts for its 167th summer season. Concerts include the “Star Spangled Spectacular” on July 4 and “Night at the Movies” on July 13.

“MUSIC AT THE MANSION” CONCERT SERIES Ellwood Mansion, DeKalb This concert series program will be featured on the grounds of the Ellwood House on June 23, June 30, July 14, July 21, July 28 and August 4. The main act begins at 7 p.m. each date. Local talent will be featured shortly before the main act. Craft shows, classic car shows and other events will be new this year.

For sponsorship info contact FunMEevents@ aol.com. Concerts sponsored in part by: The Ellwood House Museum, Steve & TJ Irving, Claesson Carpet Cleaners, Katherine Gannon Realtors, Michael Embrey, and others.

JULY

KIRKLAND LIONS CLUB 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION July 2 - July 4 Kirkland4thofJuly.com This annual three-day event features carnival games and rides, a beer tent, flea market,

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and fireworks. The event’s music headliner is country start Lainey Wilson, who will perform July 2. Other events include friendly rivalry games between the local fire and police departments, as well as a magician and other live entertainment for all ages.

WATERMAN LIONS SUMMERFEST & ANTIQUE TRACTOR & TRUCK SHOW July 17 WatermanLionsTractorShowandSummerfest.com Waterman’s annual festival features a morning tractor parade, a drive-thru meal, raffles, fireworks, and outdoor movie. Families and children of all ages will enjoy this all-day event.

TURNING BACK TIME CAR SHOW DOWNTOWN SYCAMORE July 24 & 25 DiscoverSycamore.com Hundreds of classic cars will be on display in downtown Sycamore for this year’s annual Cruise Night on Saturday, July 24th and the Fizz Ehrler Memorial Car Show on Sunday, July 25th. Saturday’s event will feature hundreds of hot cars, live music and cold beer. Sunday’s event will feature close to 1,000 antiques, classics, street rods, rat rods and more. Enjoy a day strolling through downtown Sycamore and enjoying various food and oldies music.

AUGUST

DRUM CORPS SHOW - NIU- DEKALB August 6 - 7 p.m.

Drum & Bugle Corps contest at Huskie Stadium This event, now in its 35th year, features six Drum Corps. For ticket information contact regiment.org. For local information contact FunME Events at 815-756-1263

22 | June 2021 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE

SYCAMORE STEAM SHOW & THRESHING BEE August 12-15 SycamoreSteamShow.com The Northern Illinois Steam Power Club will hold its annual steam show and threshing bee on the Taylor Marshall Farm property in Sycamore. The sprawling event features a large flea market, antique displays and demonstrations, fresh produce, and exhibits for adults and children of all ages to enjoy.

DEKALB COUNTY BARN TOUR August 14, Sandwich Township DeKalbCountyBarnTour.com Embark on this year’s barn tour with your own map and see 8 historic and architecturally unique buildings in the Sandwich township area. This year’s tour includes multiple barns and the historic Somonauk United Presbyterian Church.

Tour is self-guided and admission is $25 per carload.

SEPTEMBER

CRUISIN’ TO GENOA CAR SHOW August 21 GenoaAreaChamber.com While there will be no Genoa Days festival this year, the “Cruisin’ to Genoa” car show will be held, along with the Roger Watson Memorial Tractor Show. More than 30 trophies will be awarded to car show participants this year.

CORN FEST - DOWNTOWN DEKALB August 27-29 cornfest.com DeKalb’s Corn Fest is one of the last remaining free admission festivals in the state.

Held in downtown DeKalb, the annual festival features live music, food, games, carnival, corn boil and much more.

DeKalb Public Library.......................................... 11 Egyptian Theatre................................................. 11 Eric Hill Enterprises.............................................. 19 First National Bank................................................ 2 Hampton Inn by Hilton.......................................... 7 Home2 Suites by Hilton......................................... 7

RIBS, RHYTHM & BREWS FEST DOWNTOWN SYCAMORE August 28 DiscoverSycamore.com This annual event features award-winning rib vendors, craft beer, and live music from The Party Doctors who will open for Back Country Roads. This year promises “more ribs, beer and music,” and one food vendor will be crowned the RR&B Fest Champion.

MAPLE PARK FUN FEST September 4-5 MapleParkFunFest.com This festival bills itself as a “classic small town festival geared for big time entertainment.” It began in 1998 as a local softball tournament, but has since blossomed into a two-day event with a parade, fireworks, food vendors, a kid zone, and live entertainment.

SANDWICH FAIR September 8-12 SandwichFair.com This multi-day fair has been held annually in Sandwich since 1888. The event features truck and tractor pulls, a concert, culinary competitions, and an antique car show, along with festival food, rides and games.

There’s truly something for everyone at the Sandwich Fair.

Larry Gregory Photography .................................. 3 NIU Dept. of Visual Arts...................................... 24 Pizza Villa............................................................. 15 Sycamore Chamber of Commerce........................ 5 T-Mobile.............................................................. 23 Yaegar’s Farm Market.......................................... 15

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Find out more at T-Mobile.com/AcrossAmerica Capable device required for 5G; coverage not available in some areas. Some uses may require certain plan or feature; see T-Mobile.com. T-Mobile, the T logo, Magenta and the magenta color are registered trademarks of Deutsche Telekom AG. © 2021 T-Mobile USA, Inc. DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | June 2021 | 23

Artistry. Applied.

Find out more about the arts at NIU.

niu.edu/cvpa

College of Visual and Performing Arts

2020 - 2021 Season Presented By

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