5 things to do in McHenry County: Pride and summer festivals

1. Celebrate LGBTQ+ pride all weekend: Woodstock’s fifth annual pride festival has events for people of all ages Saturday and Sunday. The Rainbow Run will kick off the events at 10 a.m. Saturday in Emricson Park. A pub crawl will follow later that day at 6 p.m. around the historic Woodstock Square.

The Pride Promenade will be a free event to view decorated homes and yards from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The main festival and parade will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and will include music, food and vendors.

For information on all of Woodstock’s pride events, go to woodstockilpride.com.

2. Bacon and bands festival: Spring Grove’s first-ever festival that focuses on bacon, beer, bourbon and bands will start at 3 p.m. Saturday. Live bands, nine food trucks and a bourbon tasting will be featured.

The event will be at the Richardson Adventure Farm, 909 English Prairie Road. The farm’s family-friendly activities will be open to enjoy, including a 700-foot zip-line, a 50-foot observation tower, a jumping pillow, pedal cars and a playground.

General admission tickets cost $12 and VIP tickets cost $50. Proceeds will support the following nonprofit organizations: Allendale Association, Save-A-Pet, Elderwerks, Jeeps on the Run and the Chain O’Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce High School Scholarship Fund. Go to facebook.com/B4summerfestival for information.

3. Say aloha to summer on the beach: Enjoy the sunset with a Hawaii-themed celebration at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Crystal Lake Main Beach. The Aloha Summer Sunset Celebration event is for ages 21 and older. There will be a steel drum band, Hawaiian dancers and a DJ.

Hawaiian drinks will be available to buy and food trucks Tiki Terrace and BBQ Brothers will be selling food. The Crystal Lake Park District recommends bringing lawn chairs and wearing Hawaiian attire.

Tickets will cost $10 a person at the door and all admission proceeds will go to the Crystal Lake Parks Initiative Foundation. Tickets are available online through June 8 for $5. For information, go to crystallakeparks.org.

4. Love Our River Day: A day full of outdoor activities is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m Sunday at McHenry Dam State Park.

Enjoy family-friendly activities such as river ring-toss, a bird walk with McHenry County Audubon, yoga, fishing and a free copi tasting. Guided canoe trips down the Fox River are available for $30 a person. For information, visit friendsofmorainehillsstatepark.org.

5. Shop at an outdoor flea market: Woodstock is hosting an outdoor flea market from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Roscoe Woodstock Antique Mall.

More than 45 vendors will be selling antiques and goods outdoors while the mall has more than 35,000 square feet of additional indoor shopping. Antique furniture, records, clothing and more will be available for anyone to enjoy the thrifting hunt.

The mall suggests bringing cash for flea market deals. Call 815-334-8960 for information.

• Would you like your event included in this weekly feature? The first step is submitting your events to the Northwest Herald’s community calendar at shawlocal.com/northwest-herald/local-events, where they are then considered for inclusion in this feature.