Annual village shindig will feature games, pet show, bake sale, hayrides, music, more SCALES MOUND, Ill. - A wide range of entertainment and events will attract a wide range of ages to this little town's annual line-up of big festivities. Scales Mound, located in scenic northwest Illinois, will hold its annual Stagecoach Festival on Friday-Sunday, June 26-28. Most of the family-friendly goings-on will take place in the town's park and town hall located in the center of this rural community.
"This year's event features a lot of new activities, while still keeping tradition with many of our signature fun," said Joann Schultz, one of the festival organizers. "Rain or shine or heat, the Scales Mound Stagecoach Festival is great family fun with something for everyone. It's an easygoing day with a wide variety of things to do."
The fest will once again feature favorites such as an old time tractor pull, 5K and 10K runs, children's games, a bake sale, a town musical, bingo, a strip steak sandwich dinner, a dance and the return of a "Festival Feud" type game show. Pet lovers will also be able to enter their favorite pets in the "Amazing and Unusual Pet Show." And custom designed commemorative crocks, sporting a rendition of the United Methodist Church by Scales Mound artist Randy Schultz, will be on sale all weekend for $30 each.
The festival will officially kick off Friday evening with the town musical, "Stagecoach Jamboree," performed by "Our Little Community Group" of Scales Mound actors. Curtain time is 7 p.m. in the Scales Mound School gym; admission is $3 at the door. Friday evening will also feature professional wrestling in the town hall at 7:30 p.m., presented by R and R Wrestling. Tickets are $7 in advance for adults and $8 at the door; for kids 12 and under the ticket price is $5. Tickets can be purchased at Schultz Appliance in Scales Mound or by calling Chris Schultz at 815-541-1392.
The annual 5K and 10K runs will open Saturday's activities. Line-up is at the east end of the park at 9 a.m. For more information or to enter, contact Jim Davis at
jimcdavis@dellmail.com or 815-541-2061. Pre-registration is encouraged. Saturday will also feature an all-day crafts fair in the park. Interested people can call Laura Duerr at 815-297-4152 for more information or to reserve a space.
The town park will also come alive with a wide assortment of kid's games and rides, bingo, a bike rodeo safety program and obstacle course, children's comedy skit, stagecoach rides, horse-drawn shuttle rides, a bake sale by the Ladies Home Extension, a Jo-Carroll Energy Hot Line Demonstration and the Scales Mound Protection District's Safety House. The Community Band will entertain in the bandstand starting at 12:30 p.m., followed by local musician Garrett Hillary. And the local 4H chapter will also serve root beer floats all day.
Saturday will also see a bean bag tournament, a firefighter competition and water fights in front of the town hall, all at 1 p.m.; the Lil' Cowpoke Contest at 2 p.m.; a cupcake eating contest at 2:30 p.m.; and a tractor rodeo in front of the town hall at 5 p.m. The High Point Cruisers car club will line up at 5 p.m. on the street around the park, with the cruise scheduled for 6. The Scales Mound Recreation Association will sponsor food and beverages, including a beer tent, all day Saturday. Crocks, T-shirts and festival information will be available at the info booth near the center of the park.
A new event called "Cowboy Poetry Around a Campfire" will be held north of the park at 8 p.m. Also new will be a guided Cemetery Walk, which will run every 30 minutes from 8 to 10 p.m. The event is $3 and includes a hayride to the site. The evening will wrap up with a dance in the park pavilion at 8 p.m.
Sunday will dawn with a breakfast sponsored by the local 4-H group in the town hall from 7:30 a.m. to noon, featuring a heaping country breakfast of eggs, sausage, assorted rolls, coffee, milk and juice. "Old tyme" gospel music will help kick off the morning at 8:30 a.m., followed by an Old Tyme Community Church Service (non-denominational) at 9 a.m., with music by local musicians. A final performance of "Stagecoach Jamboree" will be held at 2 p.m. in the Scales Mound High School Gymnasium.
For more information, visit
scalesmound.com or contact Joann Schultz at 815-845-2691 or Sheila Ohms at 815-845-2370.
