PrairieFest Postponed To Labor Day Amid Coronavirus Concerns

OSWEGO, IL — The village's popular summer festival PrairieFest has been postponed, according to event organizers. Due to concerns over the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the decision was made to move the event from June 18 - 21 to Sep. 4 - 7. It was not an easy choice to make, event planners said.

"The pieces that it took to make the decision were huge," chief PrairieFest organizer Kristie Vest said. "We basically had to plan an event backwards... we had to take all the elements that had already committed to us, reach out to each of them and see what common weekend they had."

Vest said that as coronavirus concerns loomed over the festival's June date, event planners only had two choices: cancellation or postponement. The idea of cancelling the festival was unthinkable, Vest said, and so she and her team began looking for a replacement date. Vest said Labor Day weekend was chosen primarily because it was the only time Windy City Amusements - the company the provides many of PrairieFest's rides and attractions - had free until the start of October.

"We really couldn't have PrairieFest without a carnival," Vest said.

Many of the other performers and attractions the PrairieFest team had booked will still perform on the new days, Vest said. These include the petting zoo, the trampoline show, singer Uncle Kracker and music group Rockstar Rodeo. However, other acts had to decline the new dates.

"The Romantics and John Waite aren't going to be able to come, but we've invited them back next year for PrairieFest 2021," Vest said.

Vest also expressed some concern that with its new dates, Oswego's PrairieFest will overlap with Yorkville's Hometown Days, scheduled to run Sep. 3 - 6. However, she said she spoke with Yorkville village officials, who assured her PrairieFest's rescheduling would not negatively impact Hometown Days.

"I realize the position I'm putting [Yorkville] in, being one town over... this wasn't my preference but it was becoming clear it was going to be Labor Day weekend, or cancellation," Vest said.

Despite the rescheduling, PrairieFest is still a free event and open to the public. It being free is one of the reasons the festival is popular, Vest said, and there were no plans to begin charging admission.

"We wouldn't [charge people]," Vest said. "We think that the reason why this event belongs to the people who live here has a lot to do with the fact that we aren't charging for parking, admission or concerts."

PrairieFest will take place in the park by 91 Plank Road in Oswego, across from the village Public Works facility. For more information on PrairieFest or to get involved with organizing it, visit the festival webpage.

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