Uncle Kracker to headline at Oswego’s PrairieFest Sept. 4

The Oswegoland Park District has confirmed that Uncle Kracker will headline the musical lineup for PrairieFest 2021.

PrairieFest was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic, and Park District officials announced in February that this year’s festival has been pushed back to Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3 to 6, for this year only. The theme for this year’s festival will be “Happy Days Are Here Again.”

A video posted to the official PrairieFest Facebook page March 16 featured the musical lineup for the festival. Uncle Kracker will take the stage Saturday, Sept. 4, in PrairieFest Park, south of Oswego High School on Route 71.

Uncle Kracker is best known for his hit songs, “Follow Me,” “Drift Away” and “Floatin.’”

“We loved the idea that Uncle Kracker hits a bunch of different genres,” Park District Superintendent of Events and Cultural Arts Kristi Vest said when Uncle Kracker was first announced in January 2020.

“To be able to provide that for such a wide range of our guests’ tastes sounded really fun,” Vest said.

This year’s concerts will begin Friday, Sept. 3, with the Boy Band Review, Beyond the Blonde and local duo Jeff and Kurt’s Acoustic Refreshment.

In addition to Uncle Kracker on Saturday, the Chicago-based power pop band Evil Burrito and the Members Only, a 1980s tribute band, will perform.

Sunday’s lineup will feature performances from northern Illinois band Whiskey Romance, local group Hillbilly Rockstarz and the Sugar Grove-based County Line Brothers.

The 12-piece Naperville band Swing Assembly will close out PrairieFest on Monday, Sept. 6.

When looking for performers for 2021, Vest previously said the Park District is looking to highlight local artists, especially those affected by the pandemic.

“The community has a real need to look back on the people that need some help,” she said, pointing out regional artists.

“There’s a lot of people that locally were making their living entertaining, that were really hurt by the last year,” Vest said. “We’re hoping we can feature them in our PrairieFest lineup to really celebrate them and that they made it through all this.”

Vest also confirmed that other groups scheduled for the PrairieFest celebration include the trampoline stunt group Flip Out and the Light Your Night Laser Show.

Safety remains a top priority in 2021, Vest said.

“There are a lot of factors that are out there. There’s people that are very concerned about their health, the health of their community, and there’s people that aren’t ready to gather,” she said. “We need a little time to put COVID behind us.

“We feel confident that fall will be that time, based on what we’re hearing from a lot of different experts,” she said.

The Park District will announce more information about PrairieFest this year as it becomes available.