Wine on the Fox in Oswego draws large crowds despite cool temperatures

Despite cool temperatures, people packed Hudson Crossing Park in Oswego on May 3 and 4 for the village’s annual Wine on the Fox festival.

The event featured more than 100 wine selections from Illinois wineries along with food trucks and live music. This is the 19th year of Wine on the Fox.

Students from the Fox River Academy of Music & Art in Oswego entertained the May 4 crowd with several songs, including an instrumental version of The Beatles’ song “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.”

Oswego High School student Ali Bauman was happy for the opportunity to perform again at Wine on the Fox. This is her second year playing at the festival.

“I started playing piano when I was five years old,” she said. “The older I got, the more I enjoyed playing, especially through COVID. I think that’s when I started getting better and then I started playing songs that I actually enjoyed.”

Todd Kummer – owner of The Popcorn Store in Oswego – was busy selling bags of gourmet popcorn at Wine on the Fox.

“I’ve been here since 2018 or 2019,” he said. “This has been my best year ever. We’ve sold nearly 600 bags of popcorn at this point in time. Most people buy one or two bags.”

Kummer likes being part of the event every year.

“It’s just fun to be out in the community with all the people,” he said. “You get to interact with hundreds of people. And it’s fun to talk to all of them.”

Oswego Village Administrator Dan Di Santo was happy to see such a large crowd of people at Wine on the Fox on May 4 despite the less than ideal weather conditions. In addition, the food trucks at the event were relocated to Jackson Street after work recently started on the second building at Shodeen Group’s Reserve of Hudson Crossing luxury apartment building.

“It’s a great turnout,” he said. “I think people just knew to bundle up a little more than usual. Between the cold and the construction of the new Shodeen building, we were hoping things would work out and we’ve been very happy with the results. It’s an event that people look forward to. It’s our signature event, as we say.”

The village began hosting the event in 2005. In 2020, it was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wine on the Fox is presented by john greene Realtor. Proceeds from the event help offset the cost of Oswego’s annual event programming and provide community amenities throughout the year.

Oswego’s Fourth of July fireworks along with concerts and movies at Venue 1012, the village’s outdoor amphitheater, are made possible by Wine on the Fox sponsors, participating businesses and attendees.