Huntley Fall Fest not just about entertainment as organizers give back to McHenry County

Attendees at the Huntley Fall Fest every year might enjoy listening to the bands, making scarecrows or a number of other activities.

“You can come to the entire event for free,” said Claudine Cutrona, one of the organizers of the annual event.

While many activities are free, some of the profits from the festival also go to help McHenry County nonprofits. Some of the charities are based in Huntley, but others are based in surrounding communities.

“Everything goes back into the community,” Cutrona said.

Cutrona said the organization will be donating $65,000 to various community groups and hears about nonprofits largely through word-of-mouth.

Cutrona credited the Huntley community for the organization’s ability to help out nonprofits, saying if people didn’t come to the fest, the organization wouldn’t be able to help local charities.

“It’s everybody giving back to the community,” Cutrona said.

She added other groups also raise money during the Fall Fest weekend, including the Lions Club and the Huntley library book sale. This year’s event took place Sept. 29 to Oct. 1. Dates for the 2024 fest have not yet been set.

Though local sports teams, Huntley High School students and other residents help out with and are involved in the festival, Cutrona would love to see more people get involved.

“It would be great to have more community involvement,” Cutrona said.