Summer road trips

By Mallory Medved - Copy Editor

You’ve seen the Lincoln Museum.  You’ve ridden all the rides at Knight’s Action Park.  You’ve seen the animals at the Henson Robinson Zoo and walked the paths at Lincoln Memorial Gardens.  It’s only the first week of summer vacation. Now what?
Why don’t you consider a trip outside Springfield for a fair or festival this summer? The Central Illinois Tourism Development Office, 700 E. Adams St., puts out a visitor’s guide every summer that lists the events and attractions in the 26 counties that make up the region. So this summer, instead of spending another weekend playing Nintendo and avoiding human contact, leave the capital city altogether and see a little bit more of the area at one of these events:
Lakeside Music & Arts Festival: May 27-28, Decatur.  A celebration of art, music and food with live performers and artisans next to Lake Decatur. 10 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Art on the Square:  June 3, downtown square, Taylorville. Local artists gather to exhibit and sell their work. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
FunFest:  June 3-4, Effingham. Celebrate the VW Beetle with models from the 1960s to today, Bugs, VW buses and more. Located at the MidAmerica Motorworks on North U.S. 45.
Sangamon County Fair: June 14-18, New Berlin Fairgrounds.
Mother Jones Festival & Mt. Olive Homecoming: June 23-25, Mt. Olive. 5K race/ride/walk, arts and antiques, live music and entertainment, ethnic food festival at the Mother Jones gravesite memorial.
Taste of Champaign: June 23-25, West Side Park, Champaign. More than 20 restaurants, 50 arts & crafts vendors and musicians.
Lake Shelbyville Aqua Fest: July 1, Sullivan Beach, Shelbyville. Sand volleyball tournament, water games for kids and sculpture contest. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Old-Fashioned Fourth of July: July 4, Pells Park, Paxton. Flea market, watermelon-eating contest, tractor pull, antique car & tractor show, food, fireworks at dusk. Starts at 10 a.m.
Staunton Tour de Donut: July 8, Staunton. Central Illinois’s version of the Tour de France bicycle race. Registration 8 a.m., race 9 a.m. Call (314) 232-7236.
Bagelfest: July 20-22, Peterson Park, Mattoon. World’s biggest bagel breakfast, food vendors, crafts & entertainment. www.mattoonillinois.org. 
Party in the Park: July 21-22, Downtown Litchfield. Carnival, entertainment, Miss Chamber pageant, chili cook-off, arts & crafts.
World Free Fall Convention: July 21-30, National Aviation Center, Rantoul. Airplanes, jets, helicopters and hot-air balloons with parachutes of every color.
Logan County Fair: Aug. 1-6, Lincoln Fairgrounds. 4-H shows, livestock judging, tractor pulls, live entertainment, food and queen pageant.
Downtown Merchants’ Sale: Aug. 4-5, Downtown Gillespie. All retail stores will have indoor & outdoor sales. Outdoor sales up to 75 percent off.
Bluegrass Jam: Aug. 13, Lincoln Log Cabin Historic Site, Lerna. This informal gathering brings musicians from Illinois, Indiana and Missouri.  Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy the music, or bring an instrument and join in.
These events are only a small portion of the number of fairs and festivals taking place across Central Illinois this summer. The Central Illinois Visitor’s Guide is available by calling (217) 525-7980 or visiting www.visitcentralillinois.com.

Summer road trips