Homestead Festival ready to kick off its 48th celebration

PRINCETON — The Bureau County Homestead Festival planning committee is ready to kick off the 48th annual event.

There will be plenty of things to see and do this week, beginning Thursday and running through the weekend.

The planning committee has brought together an event that will include the good old traditions, mixed with new additions meant to entertain everyone.

Homestead Festival Managers Rick Clary and Tracy Makransky anticipate thousands of people will “Journey Home” this year, which is the festival’s theme.

“A lot of people come to the Homestead. It’s the one time a year they all come back and enjoy their hometown,” Clary said. “They may have been gone since 1960, but they’re still journeying back home.”

One of the weekend’s biggest draws are the class reunions that will be going on Friday and Saturday.

“I think a lot of people leave the area when they go on to college or whatever, and so maybe Homestead is the only opportunity, besides holidays, they come back and see family and friends,” Makransky added.

What’s new this year?

This year’s event will feature all the great Homestead traditions, including the Princeton Junior Women’s Club ice cream social, the Underground Railroad 5K, Beta Sigma Phi Arts and Craft Show, Princeton Jaycees Beer Garden, blues concert in Alexander Park, the grand parade on Saturday and the annual car show on Sunday.

The planning committee has also taken a second took at the weekend schedule and decided to add several more features they hope people enjoy. On Friday, from 7 to 9 p.m., “Faithfully Journey,” a Journey tribute band, will be playing in Soldiers and Sailors Park.

On Saturday and Sunday, the Bureau County Historical Society Museum and Library will be giving historic home and cemetery trolley tours. Sign-up is required with limited room on the trolley. The tour begins at the Bureau County Museum from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon on Sunday.

On Saturday, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., “The Other Guys,” a comedy/a capella octet group from the University of Illinois, will perform in front of Bureau County Courthouse.

On Sunday, a balloon sculptor for kids will be at Soldiers and Sailors Park from noon to 2 p.m. Also, a bouncy house will be at the park from noon to 3 p.m.

Makransky said the planning committee made sure to include family-friendly events.

“Something for everyone,” she said.

Also new this year, Hornbaker Gardens will be holding its annual Artisan Market during the Homestead weekend. Makransky said the two events have been promoting one another and hopefully will draw more people to the area, being on the same weekend.

Hoping for good weather

With the planning and scheduling stages set at this point, Makransky and Clary said they are just hoping for good weather. They are also on the lookout for anyone who would like to volunteer during the weekend.

“There’s plenty of opportunities in the community for people to help and participate. If they want to, they should reach out to us,” Clary said.

For those who cannot commit their time, but would like to support the Homestead Festival, they are urged to purchase a 50/50 raffle ticket, either from a volunteer during the festival or online on the Homestead Festival website.

Right now, the raffle sits at $3,200. The goal is to reach $20,000. The monies raised through the raffle help support the following year’s festival. The winner of the 50/50 raffle will be announced during the car show on Sunday around 3:30 p.m.