McHenry Moose Lodge hosts Moosetock this weekend in Johnsburg

The McHenry Moose Lodge will be hosting a first-ever “hippie fest” Moosestock this weekend.

The three-day festival will take place Friday through Sunday at the McHenry Moose Lodge 691, 3535 N. Richmond Road in Johnsburg.

The Moose Lodge is an international fraternal organization that focuses on community bonding and services.

Jamie Clark and her husband, Jeremy, joined the McHenry Moose Lodge last year. They were on the committee along with committee Chairman Keith LaMasse and other lodge members to put together the festival. They are expecting about 1,000 attendees, Clark said.

“We’re hoping fathers will come out with their kids and have a good bonding time.”

—  Jamie Clark, McHenry Moose Lodge member

Clark approached LaMasse about creating a festival that was different from their annual Moose metal fest that featured hard rock and metal music bands.

“I know a lot of people around here enjoy the jam bands and bluegrass music,” Clark said.

Friday will kick off with open mic and open jam sessions starting at 6 p.m. that are free and open to the public.

Saturday’s gates open at noon and feature bands East End Drive, School of Rock Barrington; The Wind Gypsys, a band that covers classic songs from the 1960s to today; and The County Line Jam Band, a Grateful Dead cover band.

Sunday’s gates open at 11 a.m. and will close out the festival with fireworks at 9 p.m. Bands that will be performing are Rolling Blackouts; JoyDog, which covers songs by Phish and Ween; Tiny Country; and Miles Over Mountains, a McHenry-based bluegrass band.

Family-friendly activities such as face painting, hula hooping and a photo booth will be available all weekend.

The McHenry Moose Lodge will provide burgers and vegan-friendly food options for sale. A percentage of the event proceeds will be donated to the Moose Lodge and other McHenry County charities.

Tickets for the event can be bought at www.moosestock.org. Advance sales offer weekend passes that cost $45 and daily passes that cost $25 until Friday. Tickets also can be bought at the gate for $50 for the weekend and $30 for each day.

Clark said that they planned the festival to take place on Father’s Day weekend to offer an event for families to enjoy.

“We’re hoping fathers will come out with their kids and have a good bonding time,” Clark said, “and hopefully get some more members out of it.”