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1. Big names in country music will take the stage Friday and Saturday in McHenry.
Splash Into Country is set for Friday and Saturday at Petersen Park, 4300 Petersen Park Road. Gates open at 5 p.m. both nights with the first act set for 6:30 p.m.
The Friday line-up includes Dustin Lynch, Dylan Scott and Zach Miller. Saturday night’s headliners are Brad Paisley, Chris Lane and Ernest.
General admission tickets for Friday cost $40 with reserved seating running $60 to $80 and $90 for the two VIP pits. On Saturday, general admission tickets cost $60 and $225 for the two VIP pits. Reserved seating for Saturday is sold out.
Proceeds from the event will go to the RISE Up Foundation, which plans to put the money toward the city’s expansion of Miller Point and Riverwalk project, organizers said.
Tickets can be bought at the RISE Up Foundation website, riseupfoundationmchenry.org.
2. The village of Richmond is celebrating its 150th birthday with a weekend celebration full of historic home tours, a downtown wine walk, sidewalk sales, fundraising gala, cemetery tours at dusk, a car show on Broadway, a touch-a-truck event and celebration and dedication at Nippersink Park.
The W.A. McConnell Foundation will host a gala Friday evening to raise money for its mission of preserving and protecting Richmond’s heritage and history.
Tickets, which cost $50 a person, include heavy hors d’oeuvres, two drink tickets, live music by International Strings of Chicago, an exclusive Eugene Derdeyn art exhibit, a gift and a silent auction.
For information, go to www.wamcconnellfoundation.org. Tickets also can be bought at Richmond Village Hall, 5600 Hunter Drive, during business hours.
The celebration at Nippersink Park, 5200 Nippersink Drive, will run 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and feature games, giveaways, a petting zoo with Kate’s Kritters Mobile Petting Zoo, Mario’s Cart Food Truck and magic with Dave Stritter.
The car show will take over West Broadway from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday with live music at Stevens Park by Richmond’s own Aging Teen Idols from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The event is free.
The District At Historic Memorial Hall will be having its official grand opening the weekend of the sesquicentennial with tours, drinks, food trucks and live music. The event will take place 1 to 8 p.m. Saturday.
The downtown wine walk and craft liquor tasting event will take place 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $45 in advance and $50 day of and include more than 40 samples of wine plus a specialty bourbon and tequila station. Participants also will receive a bottle of their choice at the end of the event as well as a wine glass, lanyard and selection of various appetizers at each location.
Artists will paint all day as part of the Aeon Gallery’s “En Plein Air” event. During a reception in the gallery, 10331 N. Main St., at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, attendees can vote for their favorite pieces. Admission is $5.
Docent-led tours of the Richmond Cemetery will be at 5 and 7 p.m. Saturday. The tours, which cost $12 a person, will feature costumed actors and narrators, who will share information about influential or notable people who shaped Richmond into what it is today.
Guided walking tours also are planned for 10 a.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday. The 1.3-mile route will cover more than 50 Victorian and Edwardian homes and downtown businesses. Advance registration is encouraged.
The touch-a-truck event will take place 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday on West Broadway Street and the city parking lot with popcorn, a balloon artist and face painters.
An ice cream social is set for 12:30 to 3 p.m. Sunday at Ivy’s Oh So Sweet Ice Cream Shop, 10315 Main St.
For a full list of events and details, go to richmond-il.com/event/richmonds-sesquicentennial-celebration/.
3. Several McHenry County breweries have festivities planned for Oktoberfest.
Sew Hop’d Brewery and Taproom, 1 Union Special Plaza, Suite 113, in Huntley, will host a cover-free, family-friendly event with games, activities, food and live music Friday through Sunday. Go to sewhopd.com for details.
Kishwaukee Brewing, 1900 Dillard Court in Woodstock, will offer new beer releases, stein-holding competitions, food trucks and live music Friday and Saturday. Go to facebook.com/kishwaukeebrewingco/ for details.
It’s not a brewery, but the Quarry Cable Park at Three Oaks Recreation Area, 5517 Northwest Highway in Crystal Lake, will offer live German music, themed bar and grill menu options and a mini market Friday and Saturday. Go to bit.ly/QRYOktoberfest for information.
4. The sixth annual Mexican Independence Day Celebration will bring games, mechanical bulls, music and food to the historic Woodstock Square.
The entertainment kicks off at 11 a.m. Sunday with DJ Sanchez, followed by a variety of musical groups and other performances. The event, which is free to enter, wraps up at 7 p.m.
Among the food trucks and vendors set to come are AJz Kettlecorn, Churros y Chocolate, Dairy Queen, El Chido Street Tacos, El Taco Feliz, El Zorro Tacos, Huntley’s Tacos Locos, La Michoacana Mia, Mama Maria’s Kitchen, Marine Korn, Mario’s Cart, Millie’s Michoacana, Savory Crust, Tacos Cerito and Tacos Express.
For information, go to realwoodstock.com.
5. A free just-for-fun scavenger hunt in downtown Crystal Lake wraps up Monday.
Game cards can be picked up and dropped off at Mellie’s Chocolate & Co., 2 N. Williams St., or Marvin’s Toy Store, 64 A N. Williams St. They also are available to be printed at Downtown Crystal Lake’s website, downtowncl.org.
Apples containing a number and a word will be visible from the sidewalk of various businesses in downtown Crystal Lake. Players write down the words they find in the matching apple box to reveal the completed sentence.
Winners will be drawn from correctly completed game cards and notified the following day. Prizes include Crystal Lake souvenirs, store prizes and festival tickets.
Would you like your event featured in this weekly feature? The first step is submitting your events to the Northwest Herald’s community calendar at shawlocal.com/northwest-herald/local-events/ where they are then considered for inclusion in this feature.