McHenry County Historical Society & Museum’s Heritage Fair set for Sunday

The McHenry County Historical Society and Museum will host its 35th annual Heritage Fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 10 at 6422 Main St. in Union.

Highlights of the fair include a Garden Glitz plant sale, a magician, children’s activities, a white elephant sale, a bake sale and pie contest, a vintage book sale and silent auction, a car show and free admission to the museum, the 1895 West Harmony School and the 1843 Gannon log cabin.

Magician Kevin Sarnwick from Crystal Lake will perform around the grounds between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Children’s activities, including a cakewalk and outdoor games, will run from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Musician Dave Martin will share his unique blend of history and storytelling on Eckert Hall stage starting at 2 p.m.

A white elephant sale will be accompanied by the return of the museum’s vintage clothing sale, featuring military uniforms, 1920s-era dresses, lingerie and Titanic-era gowns.

Baked goods are needed for a bake sale and the annual Heritage Fair pie contest. The categories for the pie contest are fruit, berry and other. No cream pies, please.

Interested bakers can register their pies between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. on the day of the fair in the West Harmony School, located on museum grounds. The entry fee is $2. Judging will take place at 10:30 a.m. with ribbons awarded to the winners of each category, plus a special reward for the grand champion.

Pies will be sold by the slice immediately following the judging at the Heritage Fair bake sale, which will also feature cookies, cakes, brownies, bars and tarts. Baked goods should be labeled and should indicate if they contain nuts or have special instructions.

A vintage book sale will return at the Washington Street annex. Signature items include Sears, JC Penney and Marshall Field & Co. catalogs; Civil War, Vietnam War and Abraham Lincoln books; early schoolbooks; and 1890s cookbooks.

Silent auction items include a number of county history books, an 1872 and 1908 county atlas, books written by local authors, Woodstock postcards, high school yearbooks, a 1905 Lake County atlas, vintage Boy Scout handbooks and an array of military ephemera.

The 10th annual Heritage Fair Car Show returns along downtown Main Street in front of the museum. As in the past, the free show will feature sports, classic and antique cars. Twenty cars will receive trophies, including one for Best of Show.

Food vendors include Tacos Express, Boy Scout Troop 153, Kona Ice and Kettle Corn Cookery.

For additional information, go to www.gothistory.org or call 815-923-2267.