Check out 5 suggestions for enjoying this Memorial Weekend

Welcome to The Herald-News’ Will County Inside/Outside Guide. Each week, Features Editor Denise M. Baran-Unland (@Denise_Unland61) highlights a few ideas for you to enjoy your weekend (and beyond) in Will County.

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kickoff to the summer season while remembering honoring those who died while serving in the U.S. military.

With Will County opening back up after a year of social distancing, here are a few ideas for enjoying this weekend.

Car Cruise Nights 2021

Konows Corn Maze at 16849 Cedar Road Homer Glen will have a Car Cruise night Thursday night from 5 to 8 p.m.

Food and drinks will be available. Outside alcohol is not allowed. The event is free.

For more information, visit konowscornmaze.com.

2021 Memorial Day Carnival

Enjoy the kick-off of summer at a carnival at Bolingbrook Village Hall. Extra safety measures will be in place.

Carnival hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, 1 to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 1 to 5 p.m. Monday.

Daytime wristbands (1 to 5 p.m.) will be $25 and nighttime wristbands (6 to 10 p.m.) will be $30. A minimum purchase of $5 in tickets or towards a wristband is required for all event attendees.

Masks will also be required to enter and on the rides.

Sanitizing stations will be located at every ride. Social distancing protocols will be while waiting to ride and on the rides. All equipment will undergo additional cleaning measures daily.

This is a fundraiser hosted by the Bolingbrook Lions Club and the American Cancer Society.

An evening of Americana music

Come out to Lock & Mule by Tangled Roots Brewing Co. from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday night at 1025 S. State St. in Lockport and enjoy the music of Jeff Mandfredini.

His Facebook page says he is based out of the Illinois Valley and that he plays a “broad mix” of music from the 1960s through the 2000s. Genres include rock, pop, folk and blues with “unique renditions of many popular songs as well as catchy originals.”

The cost is free.

For more information, visit tangledrootsbrewingco.com/the-lock-and-mule and Jeff Manfredini Music on Facebook.

Head out to the Forest Preserve District of Will County this weekend

Check out these three, free outdoor activities.

The first is a River Bird Hike from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon.

The event includes a two-mile hike along the banks of the Des Plaines River and a brief outdoor presentation about one specific bird or topic. Register by Thursday at reconnectwithnature.org or call 815-722-9470.

The second is an Island History Hike from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville. Romeoville. This event is for ages 13 and up.

Explore the shores of the Des Plaines River and learn about the history of Isle a la Cache preserve from the 1750s until today. This island once housed a church, a hunting cabin, homes, taverns and an icehouse.

Register by Thursday at reconnectwithnature.org or call 815-886-1467.

The third event is Lodge Living – Busy Beavers, which will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. Sunday, also at Isle a la Cache Museum, Romeoville. This one is for ages 13 or younger.

Attendees will learn about beavers, and then take a one-mile hike along the Des Plaines River in search of signs of beaver activity. Register by Friday at reconnectwithnature.org or call 815-886-1467.

Joliet Central High School ‘The Zoom Life’ musical will premiere Saturday

This musical centers around the ups and downs of high school students spending their senior year behind a computer screen during a pandemic.

The musical, a first of this kind for Joliet Township High School District 204, is being produced by Joliet Central drama department along with the Joliet Central vocal music department. Students in the drama department filmed the musical remotely.

The cast includes Ellie Ibarra, Zachary Hamidi, Idalia Jimenez, Keegan Srebro, Kaitlyn Ballew, Luba Contreras Hermosillo and Micah Gabriel.

To access the musical, visit jolietcentraldrama.org.