Cooler temperatures opened the four consecutive dates of Vernon Hills Days in Vernon Hills at Century Park. The Thursday night opener on June 17 offered golden hour lighting before evening fireworks.
Thousands of people were expected to attend over the extended weekend. The event premises were secured with orange fencing, and a main entrance was staffed by uniformed Vernon Hills police personnel. Many of the officers were seen greeting patrons with smiles.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to connect with the community,” said Jeff Hemesath, crime prevention officer for Vernon Hills Police.
“It’s a lot of fun … and it’s (Vernon Hills Days) been around here forever,” Hemesath said.
Vernon Hills Days is a free event with a several-decade history, featuring music, food booths, games, and more.
Speaking again for Vernon Hills Days was Toni Pastorino of Libertyville, and of the Libertyville High School Class of 1998, and also Vernon Hills Days director of communications (in a volunteer role).
Pastorino said collaborators opted to place the carnival rides (like last year) on hard parking lot surfaces (to avoid soggy lawn conditions). But this year, the headliner stage was relocated to the opposite end of the park, where the carnival rides had been in prior years. People were seen dancing on the plaza in front of the professional-grade stage.
The island in Little Bear Lake was also opened up for the first time for people to spread out with chairs and blankets to watch the fireworks.
Vernon Hills Days, sponsored by the Village of Vernon Hills, is organized with the assistance of a committee (nine members) and 50 to 100 volunteers.
“This is kind of like a multigenerational thing for a lot of us that are on the committee,” Pastorino said. “Our parents did it, we’re doing it now, our kids are helping out, selling ice, putting pop in coolers and running around, helping us set up tables, things like that.
“It’s a family,” Pastorino said. “I can’t imagine not doing it, we all grew up here, we all went to school here.
“It’s home and it’s so fun to be able to provide an event like this for the community.”
To the volunteers, Pastorino also said, “We can’t do it without you, we really can’t, so we’re really grateful for everybody who steps in to volunteer for us.”
Taking a kiddie train ride were the Cruz siblings of Vernon Hills, Audrey, 6, a rising first-grader and Melanie, 5, a rising kindergartner. The girls’ mother, Susie Luna, said the family recently moved from Ravenswood, Chicago, to Lake County.
“I love watching them have fun,” the children’s mother said about Vernon Hills Days. “They love everything.”
Ashley Mooney of Mundelein brought children Luke, 3, and Teagan, 6, a rising first-grader, and hoped that Luke and Teagan would, “have fun…they want to ride the rides.”
Ashley Mooney grew up in Vernon Hills and is of the Class of 2003 of Vernon Hills High School.
“I came here as a little kid,” Mooney said about Vernon Hills Days.
Lake County, as a place to raise a family, “has everything,” Mooney added.
Michael and Abbie O’Connor of Libertyville accompanied their children, Brandon, 5, a rising kindergartner, and Marshall, 2.
Abbie O’Connor appreciates Lake County because, “It’s the people, everyone’s so friendly here.”
Michael O’Connor grew up in Libertyville and is of the Libertyville High School Class of 2003. The couple met years ago at Libertyville’s Dog Days of Summer event when they brought their respective dogs to the annual summer water pool jumping competition.
“Events like this, it’s just fun to come out to and just have a good time,” Michael O’Connor said, adding that the couple runs into “people we haven’t talked to for 20 years.”
Vernon Hills Days lasts until Sunday, July 20. See the schedule and offerings at http://vhdays.com/.
Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.