Burgoo Festival in Utica returns: ‘It’s going to be big’

Mary Holland spent her summer at outdoor fairs trying to gauge how eagerly people went outdoors after being cooped up months on end with COVID-19.

Holland then went back to the La Salle County Historical Society and told them to get ready: This year’s Burgoo Festival, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 9-10, has the potential to draw the largest crowd it’s yet seen.

The historical society reluctantly but prudently canceled last year’s festival in Utica amid rising infection rates and with vaccines largely unavailable to the public. Now, with many vaccinated and familiar with pandemic precautions, the Burgoo is back. Throw in a good weather forecast and Utica anticipated a packed weekend.

“We have a wait-and-see attitude,” said Holland, board president of the historical society. “But I do think the crowds are going to come.”

Utica Police Chief Rodney Damron thinks so, too. He’s urging motorists to use alternate routes into Utica, chiefly Route 71, to alleviate any likely backup from Interstate 80 to Route 178.

Damron also said he is concerned with parking and pedestrian safety and warns motorists against parking anywhere on Route 178 – violators will be ticketed and towed. Damron advises pedestrians to use the crosswalks rather than jaywalk and tie up traffic that already will be snarled.

“It’s going to be big,” board vice president Susan Thornton said. “I think everyone is anxious to see this event return. It’s always been very popular with out-of-towners and we’re just taking every precaution we can to make it safe.”

To that end, the society opted to take a few precautions, particularly with food service.

Food vendors will be concentrated behind Canal Market with an expanded dining area, now under two tents. Vendors all will be masked and gloved while diners enjoy their meals outdoors and with less risk of infection. A concentrated dining area also will facilitate cleanup.

Ordinarily, visitors can have their photos taken while stirring the festival’s signature stew. However, this year’s papdemic precautions mean only volunteers can stir the stew.

“We will have an empty kettle for people to take selfies,” Holland said, “But only volunteers will be allowed to stir the stew.”

The restrictions notwithstanding, society members are glad to be back in business. Although prospective fairgoers lamented last year’s cancellation, Utica officials and business owners largely supported the decision to avoid turning Burgoo into a super-spreader event.

Financially, however, the pain was acute. The historical society typically nets about $60,000 from the festival, according to tax records dating back to 2012. Burgoo in turn has made October the village’s second biggest sales month after July.

Meanwhile, the anticipated attendance mean a greater-than-usual need for volunteers. Holland said she needs people to help out with Saturday events and with Monday cleanup. Interested persons are advised to call her at 815-343-5789.

Visitors daunted by the crowds are encouraged to download the “Whova” app to their smart phones. The app can help direct visitors to vendors and has interactive features such as the ability to submit a lost-and-found query.

Holland’s biggest piece of advice? Get there early.

While the weather won’t be suffocating – temperatures are expected to peak at 82 degrees Saturday – Holland encouraged people to beat the crowds and enjoy cooler weather by getting to Utica early. That goes double for people who want a bowl of stew. Chef Adam Marlett of Lodi Tap House in Utica will serve as the 2021 Burgoomeister.

“As soon as the Burgoo is done, we start serving it,” Holland said. “The earliest I probably remember running out was about 1:30 p.m.”