5 things to do in the Illinois Valley: Festivals continue as summer winds down

1 - Play, shop and celebrate Ottawa this weekend for Friendship Days. Along with downtown sidewalk sales (10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday) and craft vendors (Friday night and Saturday afternoon), Art in the Park will take center stage in Washington Square 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Friday night, there will be entertainment from Gray’s School of Dance on the Jordan block and Lizzi Neal Band on the 600 block of Court Street, then Elysian Studios will perform Saturday afternoon at Jordan block, as well as Rosie and the Rivets and the Beatelles on Saturday night at Washington Square. The event also features a kids play day noon to 3 p.m. Saturday on the Jordan block, the La Salle County Cruisers Car Show 2 to 7 p.m. Saturday on the riverfront, the Venetian Boat Parade 9:15 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday on the Illinois River, and the Touch-a-Truck event 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the former Central School site. Go to https://pickusottawail.com/ for a full list of events.

2 - Get a Taste of the Illinois Valley this weekend at Centennial Park in Peru. Live music, food and craft vendors and a kids fun zone are part of the festivities. Admission is free. A 50/50 drawing will be conducted 8 p.m. Saturday. Extreme air, a rock wall, an obstacle course, a bounce house, two slides, a zipline and a bungee run are part of the kids zone Thursday through Saturday. Craft vendors will be set up Friday and Saturday. Abbynormal will be on stage 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Alika Arlynn Band will perform 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, then Regal Beagle will play 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, followed by Creedence Revived from 7 to 9 p.m.

3 - Party Friday and Saturday in Seneca for Shipyard Days. The village will feature live music, a beer garden and 50/50 both nights. There will be face painting, a touch-a-truck event from noon to 5 p.m. and then Seneca’s cruise night from 4 to 8 p.m. Go to https://www.facebook.com/shipyarddaysfestival for more details on the festival.

4 - Set off for Wonderland on Saturday and Sunday in Streator. The youth production of “Alice in Wonderland” will be performed 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, as well as 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, Aug. 9-12. Tickets are available at the box office 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday by calling 815-672-3584 or stop by at 1012 Columbus Road, Streator, or go online at englelane.org and buy online.

5 - Join the party Friday and Saturday in Granville. Kicking off Granville Days will be a Cruise Night from 5 to 8 p.m. downtown, with local food vendors, Disney characters, a balloon artist, a Pantera and Little Panteras performance (6 p.m.) and a street dance featuring 3 Day Weekend on stage. Saturday will be another full day with bingo starting at 11 a.m., water fights 1 to 3 p.m. (with registration at the fire department, 104 High St.), a library craft 2 to 4 p.m., a utility vehicle display and K-9 demo 2 to 4 p.m., kids activities and food vendors 3 to 7 p.m., the 50/50 drawing at 8 p.m. and a movie at dusk with free popcorn.

Would you like your event featured in this weekly feature? The first step is submitting your events to The Times, NewsTribune or Bureau County Republican’s community calendar at starvedrockcountry.com/local-events/ where they are then considered for inclusion in this feature.