5 things to do in the Illinois Valley: Several family-friendly activities set over Father’s Day weekend

1 - The Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run and Freedom Fest: The motorcycle run begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Grundy County Fairgrounds in Morris, with line up beginning as early as 6 a.m. Motorcycles will make their way to the Middle East Conflicts Wall in Marseilles for a remembrance ceremony at noon. After the ceremony, the Marseilles Tourism and Parks Committee will host a Freedom Fest celebration downtown with bands, food and vendors. Mid-Lyfe-Krsys will perform from 10 am to noon. then Righteous Hillbillies from 2 to 5 p.m. Moementum will conclude the evening’s entertainment with a performance from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

2 - Oglesby Summer Fun Fest: Carnival hours are 4 to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 9 p.m. Sunday. The carnival is located near the pool, just west of Lehigh Park. Wristbands are $30 each. The craft and vendor show will be 5 to 9 p.m. Friday and noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Red, White and Bike event is at 11 a.m. Saturday at City Hall. The live acts begin Thursday with She’s A Maybe from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. followed by Rok Brigade, a tribute to Def Leppard, from 9 to 11 p.m. On Friday, Mixtape - 80s Tribute Band will perform from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. followed by Slippery When Wet, the Ultimate Bon Jovi Tribute, from 9 to 11 p.m. Saturday features Killing Me Smalls, a 1990s cover band, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., then Fooz Fighters, the a tribute to the Foo Fighters, 8 to 11 p.m. Country rock closes out the festival with the River Road Trio performing from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and then Brushville from 6 to 9 p.m. The fireworks show is scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. Sunday.

3 - Three events in Ottawa: The 25th annual Cruise Night in Ottawa, presented by the La Salle County Cruisers, begins at about 5:15 p.m. Friday and runs until after 9 p.m. At 9 p.m., awards will be announced, as well as the 50/50 winner. Specialty vehicles will be on-hand. Additionally, the Third Friday Artisan Market opens its season on Madison Street from 6 to 9 p.m. with about 30 vendors. There will be a scavenger hunt, as well as a Kids Create Tent, including a stained glass house, a fort kit in which kids can cover the walls with colored cellophane; a craft lesson for kids to paint and take home a bird house; a fantasy butterfly play, in which kids can “dress up like butterflies and take flight;” many easels on which children can paint and draw: and a giant Connect Four game that kids and adults can play, among other items. Along with Cruise Night and Third Friday, the Lions Club carnival will be set up at the Jordan block from 6 to 10 p.m.

4 - Two family-friend events in Streator: The second annual Safe Journeys Color Run is set Saturday at Twister Hill Park. The walk/run is along the Hopalong Cassidy Trail. Stationed along the trail, volunteers will be ready to splash participants with color. The run involves a 1.5 mile loop and returns to the park. The event is open to individuals and families. Every 10 minutes starting at 8:30 a.m., a new group will set off on the color run. The final heat will leave the starting line at 9:20 a.m. All proceeds will go to support the mission of Safe Journeys to empower survivors of domestic and sexual violence and to end such violence in our communities. Safe Journeys serves La Salle and Livingston counties. Go to https://www.facebook.com/Safe.Journeys.Illinois for information on how to sign up. Additionally, the Streator Public Library will host its summer reading kickoff event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., featuring face painting, games, crafts, a story walk, among other activities.

5 - More in Bureau County: The county-wide garage sales will run Friday and Saturday. Townwide garage sales will be in Ladd, Princeton and Wyanet plus additional sales will be located in Sheffield, Dover and LaMoille. The Bureau County Fairgrounds also will host a two-day garage sale on Friday and Saturday. There will be inside and outside vendors.

Additional event: The Mendota Union Depot mural will be unveiled 10 a.m. Saturday, June 17, during the city’s Railroad Crossing and Heritage Day. The event will take place 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on both sides of Eighth Street in downtown Mendota. Lunch will be served 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with treats by BPW available in the Vintage Dining Car. Skits are planned noon and 2 p.m. at the mural. A 50/50 drawing is scheduled for 3 p.m. There will be speeder car rides, free barrel street train rides, an Old West Registers cowboy train robbery demonstration, tours of vintage rail cars and tours of the museum. Special this year will be the 100th birthday of the CB&Q 4978 Steam Locomotive which will be freshly painted. Other special demonstrations this year will include vintage corn shelling and rope making.

Would you like your event featured in this weekly feature? The first step is submitting your events to The Times, NewsTribune or Bureau County Republican’s community calendar at starvedrockcountry.com/local-events/ where they are then considered for inclusion in this feature.