MOUNT CARROLL — By the time the first guitar chords drift across the patio and the smell of grilled pork chops settles in town, it doesn’t take long for the rhythm of Memorial Day weekend in Mount Carroll to feel familiar again.

Chairs circle near the stage, bingo cards shuffle between hands, and somewhere in the mix, a dancer or two finds their footing under the glow of string lights.

A feeling of fun and fellowship makes its way throughout the crowd, and organizers keep that vibe moving throughout the four days of festivities known as MooFest, an event that’s carrying on a longtime local tradition that had been on hiatus for the past few years.

MooFest is a free event organized by The Copper Cow bar and grill in Mount Carroll and features live music, games, a 5K race, and cookouts aimed at not only celebrating the community together, but supporting it. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it is — just swap the “Moo” for “May.” More than just a nod to the bar behind it, MooFest’s name was inspired by its predecessor, Mayfest, a similar event last held in 2023.

The event is still in May though, running this year from May 22-25.

Copper Cow owner Bridget Brown organized the first MooFest in 2024. The Ohio native opened the business in 2022 (which was formerly Henry’s Double K, and originally Shimer College’s Karyn Kupcinet Theater), and it didn’t take her long to realize how celebrated Mayfest was. Inspired to carry on the tradition, she sought her own way to bring back that feeling of camaraderie.

“The one thing that I heard when I was out here was that I had to be here for Memorial Day weekend,” Brown said. “You had to be there. That’s their big thing. That’s all everyone talked about, was that Mayfest was the one weekend where everyone comes home and spends time with each other. We are trying to keep that whole community aspect of it, and give everyone a place to go and something to do.”

The event not only provides fun for the weekend, it also serves as a fundraiser for organizations such as the Mount Carroll Fire Department; the local Community Outreach Workers nonprofit, which helps provide trade school opportunities to students; and the Mount Carroll Lions Club, which helps maintain the town’s parks and supports vision and hearing initiatives. The Copper Cow also supports the Club through its Queen of Hearts raffle.

“With all of these nonprofits, we try to make sure they’re getting some sort of money from it,” Brown said. “They do a lot for the community.”

MooFest got off to a good start and has been getting better since, Brown said.

“The first year, we knew it would be big, but just didn’t know how big,” Brown said. “We underestimated it. The second year we were a lot more prepared. We knew what to expect, and we knew it was going to be crazy.”

This year’s fun begins at 6 p.m. Friday, May 22, with 10 rounds of Mystery Prize Bingo and the day concludes with live music on the patio by The Ryan and Jo Trio from 8 to 11 p.m. The mystery behind the Bingo game is solved when winners draw a number from a bag for numbered prizes. The game is a familiar favorite of Copper Cow regulars who play it there on Thursdays, Brown said.

“We usually do Mystery Bingo inside and it fills up,” she said. “Hopefully it’ll be nice that day to where we can do it outside or upstairs.”

Saturday kicks off with the We Remember 5K run and fun walk at 9 a.m. (pre-race packet pickups are from 5 to 6 p.m. Friday and 8 to 9 a.m. Saturday). The race is operated jointly by the Mount Carroll Church of God and The Copper Cow, which are across the street from each other. The Mount Carroll Fire Department will sell pork chops, hot dogs and bras in the bar’s parking lot from 11 a.m. until the food runs out.

Also on Saturday’s lineup: A dart tournament at 3 p.m., hosted by Community Outreach Workers. Live music takes up nine hours of the afternoon and evening, starting with an open mic from 1 to 3 p.m., followed by Eli Traum from 3 to 6 p.m., Absence of the Deity from 6 to 7 p.m., and Adro and The Funk from 8 to 11 p.m.

“It’s a nice, fun atmosphere,” Brown said. “We have lights, and a lot of times the bands will, too. It’s a lot of fun and a really good atmosphere.”

The fire department’s cookout is back Sunday beginning at 11 a.m. until it is sold out. The day’s events continue with a bags tournament at 2 p.m. and a bake sale and silent auction at the same time. Community Outreach Workers host the bags tournament and proceeds from the bake sale and silent auction will benefit the organization. The open mic returns from 2 to 5:30 p.m., followed by a comedy show by Darren Mangler from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.. The Just for Fun Band concludes the night with more music from 7 to 10 p.m.

Memorial Day on Monday features a euchre tournament at 2 p.m., hosted by the Mount Carroll Lions Club.

Drawings for a 50-50 raffle will take place throughout the days Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Bingo, the bake sale and silent auction are new to this year’s lineup — but Trivia Night, part of last year’s schedule, won’t be back this time around. Registration for the darts, bags and euchre activities begin an hour before each event begins.

“Our turnout was pretty good,” Brown said. “Our dart tournament was huge last year. I think this year both [darts and bags] will have a great turnout. Community Outreach has been really good about getting the word out in the area.”

Making sure the fire department hits its fundraising goals is important to Brown. To help the with its food sales, the restaurant is limiting its own menu until 6 p.m., so as not to compete fire department.

“They have a big trailer out front and cook out with a grill,” Brown said. “They usually sell out. Last year, they advertised that they were going to go until 6 p.m., but they sold out at about 4.”

While people are out and about, they’re also welcome to stop by other events going on in Mount Carroll during Memorial Day weekend.

The Mount Carroll Farmers Market — which runs until October — opens of the season and will run 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday along Market Street downtown; and the Mayfest Car Show (the lone event continuing to be held under a “Mayfest” name) rolls into downtown from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday (registration is from 9 a.m. to noon that day).

While the farmers market and car show are not considered MooFest events, Brown includes them in its advertised lineup to promote them and to give MooFest visitors additional activities to enjoy while in town.

“The whole purpose of this is to involve the whole community, and let the community benefit from it,” Brown said. “It gives people a purpose to know Mount Carroll and to come out here. We really want to highlight all of Mount Carroll, not just us. The whole purpose is to bring everyone together and support the whole town. That’s why we include everything on it. We want people to come here and enjoy it, and let them know there’s more going on that you should come to.”

This year’s MooFest will be Copper Cow manager Michael Pierce’s first. He moved to the area this past fall, and has taken note of how well Brown and her staff have promoted not just its event, but also making sure the other events of the weekend in town are well attended, he said.

“We’ll have a lot of people come in from all over the area,” Pierce said. “Our Facebook posts are reaching people who might not know where Mount Carroll is. They can come in on Memorial Day weekend and see all kinds of stuff going on and what a strong town it is.”

Pierce said all ages can enjoy MooFest, from 1 to 100 — or almost 100.

“Jim’s going to be 94,” Pierce said of one of The Copper Cow’s favorite customers. “If he’s going to make it to MooFest, he’s going to have a blast. When we have live music, he’s outside dancing with his walker, singing karaoke and stuff. Those are memories, and we get to see the joy that it can give to people. That stuff matters. There are a lot of older people in the community, and having something fun for them to do — even if it’s just a weekend — that’s great.”

Beyond the music and games, MooFest organizers say the event has grown into something more than just a weekend of entertainment; it’s a chance to reconnect, give back and keep a cherished hometown tradition alive, all while drawing new faces into the fold.

“Besides it being a lot of fun for all ages, it supports the community and brings people to the area,” Brown said. “Even if you’re coming just to play in the euchre tournament or dart tournament, and doing something you enjoy with doing that, you’re supporting one of our local nonprofits that do a lot of good for the area.”

Find Mount Carroll MooFest on Facebook to learn more about this year’s event, which is from May 22-25 at The Copper Cow, 834 S. Jackson St.

Find The Cooper Cow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok; go to coppercowbar.com or call 815-244-0196 for event reservations or for more information.