The big tent always hosts a Taste of Wauconda, featuring nearly a dozen local restaurants, from Oriental to BBQ to burgers and brats to ice cream sensations, and more!
The rides are always popular with the kids and teens, and the games of chance also drew participants...
... but the adults were enjoying the annual appearance of American English, the premier Beatles cover band in Chicagoland, and according to Sam Leach, the original promoter of the Beatles, "The best Beatle band on the planet!" and "The Beatles Incarnate" after hearing them -- and now he promotes them. Although Chicago is their base of operations, in August they highlight International Beatle Week in Liverpool, England.
The Rockaholics featured our mayor on bass guitar...
Saturday we caught the first performance by the All American Lumberjacks Show. They compete in 10 events with this "on the road" tour group, and five were demonstrated for us at this performance (the other 5 would be at the next performance.) The two competitors were both young guys, both college grads (Univ. of Minnesota and Winona State), and both World Champs -- one five timer and one a seven-time champ -- so these were high profile competitors. One competition was chainsaw cutting while on a spring board up on a pole. Normally they'd be way up a tall pole, but not today...
Another race used high-performance chainsaws and they made 2 cuts through 10 inch hardwood -- one downward and one upward -- in 4 seconds! Jamie is finishing his down cut and about to cut back upwards...
Another competition was axe throwing, but my favorite was the log boom run. Five lathe-rounded cedar logs were tied together and floating in a 10,000 gallon tank, and each guy had to dash 50 feet across and the 50 feet back against the clock. As the logs bounced and rotated and became wet, it became tougher to complete...
... and each fell several times into the 50 degree water, which of course wet their $300 shoes which have 30 spikes each. Here Jamie falls, but Jamie's 3rd run was round-trip in 7 seconds (he is the world record holder at 6 seconds.)
Sunday we enjoyed the music of Stockwood, a returning group to the Fest, known as the "World's youngest Beatle tribute band." I saw them here last year and had to see them again.
The four guys met as students at Dean Street Elementary School in Woodstock, Illinois in May of 2004. They do not lip sync, and yes they play their own instruments (quite proficiently, I might add) as well as all four contributing as vocalists. They really are a wonderful and remarkable group despite their young ages -- 11, 13, 14, and 15! Keep up the good work, fellows! (BTW: Their roadies include proud parents and grandparents.)
Don't miss next year's WaucondaFest, and don't forget the Wauconda Rodeo coming on July 12th and 13th.
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