When it’s time to kick back and relish the joys of local community events, the Fox Valley area is filled with family-friendly things to do. Whether you enjoy the vibes of live bands, thrilling carnival rides, sparkling wines, or touring holiday homes, that’s just the start of fun-filled escapades to fill your calendars.

Producing this year’s favorite events like Swedish Days (June 24-28), Kane County Fair (July 15-19), and Elburn Days (Aug. 21-23) takes a lot of time and effort. They’re steeped in deep traditions. Their dedicated event producers start planning for this year’s events immediately after the previous year’s events have wrapped up. Lining up vendors and entertainment and attracting the help of hundreds of volunteers is only the beginning of ensuring their success.

The Geneva Chamber of Commerce produces a wide variety of established events including Swedish Days, Festival of the Vine, the Holiday House Tour and more.

“We work really hard all year long to bring our events together and to keep them fresh,” says Paula Schmidt, president, Geneva Chamber of Commerce. “Our small staff includes five full-time people and one part-time person. We brainstorm ideas to bring new life to our events and are always challenged by the costs and expenses of everything going up. We are grateful for our supportive sponsors and volunteers.”

The Holiday House Tour has a rich history. According to Terry Emma, executive director of the Geneva History Museum, “The house tours started in 1967 by the Woman’s Auxiliary of Community Hospital. The Geneva Garden Club started their house tours in 1981 and the Geneva Chamber took it over in 1986. This year’s Christmas Walk in Geneva will be celebrating its 50th anniversary.”

Schmidt adds “we’re a different type of Chamber as we have both a tourist side and a chamber business side, which includes planning another whole set of different events, such as ribbon cuttings, after hours events, meetings, lunches, and our golf outing.”

Another beloved event is the 157th Annual Kane County Fair brought to the community by the Kane County Fair board of directors. “The Kane County Fair is a favorite tradition that spans generations of families in the Fox Valley area,” says Larry Breon, Kane County Fair board president, “and we take pride in honoring and celebrating our agricultural community. 4-H families remain as a cherished and main component of the Kane County Fair.”

The Fair board oversees the coordination of many aspects of the Fair and the Kane County Fairgrounds staff makes sure every inch of the site is prepped and prepared to keep the thousands of fairgoers comfortable. That includes the parking lot, grandstand area, meticulous landscaping, agricultural barns, and the entire carnival area. This work begins as soon as the snow thaws.

Elburn Days is the Elburn Lions Club’s largest annual fundraiser for the Elburn Lions Park and Elburn Lions Charities. Tom Reynolds, long-time Elburn Lions Club member, has been involved with this event for over 50 years and credits the club’s members, their family members, and over 100 volunteers for making it a very special community event. “We start planning our next Elburn Days right after this year is complete. Between our big parade on Friday night, our food, carnival and beer tent,” Reynolds says, “we are able to bring the community together for a few days of fun. Plus, our proceeds help us accomplish the charitable projects we support, like eye screenings, programs aiding the visually and hearing impaired, and more.”

Reynolds is involved in other volunteer activities, including Swedish Days and the Kane County Fair. He offered one quick tip on how to remember when these events take place each year. “These events take place the third full week of the month,” Reynolds said. “Swedish Days in June; the Kane County Fair in July; and Elburn Days in August.”

Mark your calendars today and enjoy these events. They make living in the Fox Valley area a very special treat.