September 07, 2024
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The Scene

5 Things to Do: Sail into summer during Cardboard Regatta in Crystal Lake

Release butterflies in Huntley and pick fresh flowers in Harvard.

By 5 Things to Do in McHenry County
The cardboard boat Point Break, piloted by Fred Vroman, of Marengo, Eric Huebsch, of Los Angeles, Tony Duffy, and Tim Cunnally, both of Crystal Lake, during the Crystal Lake Cardboard Regatta on Saturday, July 23, 2022 at Main Beach in Crystal Lake. Cardboard took to the lake as a fundraiser for the Crystal Lake Parks Initiative Foundation. Ryan Rayburn for Shaw Local

Crystal Lake Cardboard Regatta FILE - The cardboard boat rigatta – shown here in 2022 – returns to Crystal Lake Saturday. (Ryan Rayburn for Shaw Local/Ryan Rayburn for Shaw Local)

Here are five things to do this weekend:

Cardboard Regatta: Watch local teams race for the finish line in boats made out of cardboard at the Cardboard Regatta starting at 10 a.m. Saturday at Crystal Lake Main Beach, 300 Lakeshore Drive. Enjoy food trucks, a beer garden by Crystal Lake Brewing, live music and a live broadcast by radio station Star 105.5. Last-minute racers can sign up for the Kwikie Kit race for $50. Proceeds go to the Crystal Lake Park Initiative Foundation. Admission is $5, and children ages 3 and younger are free. Visit cardboardregatta.org for information.

Bloom fest: Explore 23,000 square feet of floral fields during the Blossom Ridge Bloom Fest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Royal Oaks Farm in Harvard. The farm, located at 15908 Hebron Road, will have food trucks, kids rides, a playground, a petting zoo, tours, a gift shop and a bakery for the grand opening of the farm’s U-Cut flower garden. Bring your own scissors to cut your own fresh flowers. Admission is $5, and children ages 4 and younger are free. For information, visit royaloak.farm/u-cut-flowers.

Barn dance: Dance the night away at the Gaver Barn Dance from 5 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday at Emricson Park in Woodstock, located at 1313 Kishwaukee Valley Road. Live music from Spazmatics and the Embry Brother Band will keep attendees dancing all night. There will be plenty of raffles, an auction, dinner and an award ceremony celebrating positive people in the community. Proceeds go to the Gavers Community Cancer Foundation to fund cancer research and care. Tickets are $70. For information and to buy tickets, visit bit.ly/gaversbarndance2024.

Release butterflies: Release butterflies into the wild at 9 a.m. Saturday at Tom’s Farm Market in Huntley. The farm, located at 10214 Algonquin Road, will have face-painting and scavenger hunts during the butterfly release in its sunflower fields. Tickets are $16 for general admission and $25 to release your own butterfly. For details and to buy tickets, visit tomsfarmmarket.com/butterfly-release.

Sidewalk Sales: Get your local shopping on from Thursday to Saturday during the Downtown Crystal Lake Sidewalk Sales. Merchants and businesses will have tables set up outside on the sidewalk with special sales and deals along Brink and Williams streets. Hours vary by stores. Visit downtowncl.org/events/summer-sidewalk-sales for more details.

Note: The DamYak Challenge, planned for Saturday morning in McHenry is canceled due to dangerous conditions on the Fox River.

Would you like your event highlighted 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.

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