Harvard Milk Days committee ready for 82nd community festival

Harvard Milk Days, the oldest hometown festival in the state of Illinois, is set to kick off for its 82nd continuous year from June 2 to 4 at Milky Way Park, 300 Lawrence Road, Harvard.

“We have certifications and different awards from the state of Illinois as the oldest continuous hometown festival,” event co-general chair Mike Bannwolf said.

At 72, Bannwolf has been part Milk Days for 55 of its 82 years. He was only 17 when he first started volunteering there in 1968. It’s also become a tradition for the family.

His wife, Michele Bannwolf, is treasurer, and their daughter, Natalie Andrews, is general chair. Son Bryce Bannwolf is the festival’s committee president.

“You have to account that I am married to Mike” for her own 30 years of volunteering, both for the Milk Day Queen pageant and on the festival board, Michele Bannwolf said.

The festival is all about family fun.

Because there is no beer tent or alcohol served during the festival, parents “feel their kids can be OK on their own running around. It a good time for people to get together. It kicks off the summer here in Harvard,” Michele Bannwolf said.

“It is very family-oriented, and we try to keep it that way.”

—  Milk Days Committee treasurer Michele Bannwolf

Families schedule graduation parties and reunions around the festival “as long as everyone is in town,” she said. “It is very family-oriented, and we try to keep it that way.”

Crowd estimates for the weekend, according to Illinois State Police, is between 40,000 and 50,000 people, Mike Bannwolf said. State police provide traffic control for the thousands of cars parked on-site.

Although admission to the festival grounds is free, parking is $8 a day or $16 for a three-day pass.

Milk Day events have changed over the years, but it’s still designed to honor the town’s roots in dairy farming and includes events in downtown as well. Those start Wednesday, May 31, with a 6 p.m. Big Wheel Race and a 7 p.m. Bed Race on Ayer Street.

The Youth Parade starts at 6:15 p.m. Thursday, June 1, also on Ayer Street.

Officially, the festival grounds open at 5 p.m. Friday, June 2, for the carnival rides, food concessions and all the other vendors and entertainment. Wristbands for carnivals rides offer unlimited rides Friday and Sunday.

The farm tractor and equipment display also is open all three days.

The “Gala Parade” is set for 1 p.m. Saturday, also on Ayer Street.

According to the event website, the parade route in downtown Harvard has been whitewashed to look like milk every year since 1949. The hope is that rain neither washes it away or delays the parade, Mike Bannwolf said.

Although dairy farming is not as prominent in McHenry County as it was in 1941, there’s still an emphasis on dairy.

At 5 p.m. Saturday, June 3, there is a milk-drinking contest at the Dairy Barn, where cattle also will be judged.

“We do have a dairy show. It is a big part of Milk Days,” Mike Bannwolf said. “It is professionally judged, just like a county fair, with prizes in various classes.”

The Junior Dairy Cattle Show starts at noon Sunday, June 4, in the festival’s Dairy Barn.

Find the full schedule of events at milkdays.com.