Octo Street Fest — a new fall festival — will be held Oct. 14 in downtown Aurora.
Set for Pinney Street, Octo Street Fest will bring together artists, musicians and street performers, according to a press release from Aurora Downtown, a nonprofit group of downtown business and property owners.
“Aurora Downtown’s events committee wanted to create a new event that paired up with a Saturday in fall, and that could really show off another side of our arts scene,” said Marissa Amoni, events and community outreach director for Aurora Downtown. “It’s full of wonder. It’s magical. It’s dark. It’s absurd and mystical. Mostly, it’s entertaining and entirely downtown Aurora.”
Octo Street Fest will also showcase the restaurants and businesses along Restaurant Row, including Basement of the Dead, Endiro Coffee, Ballydoyle, Gillerson’s Grubbery and others.
Local artist Josh Schultz designed the event poster, which features an octopus wearing a top hat and holding a wand.
“Schultz came up with the octopus idea, and we liked what an octopus represents. It’s not only a play on words with it being a festival in October, but an octopus could be doing so many things with those eight arms. In downtown Aurora, we’re doing a lot with arts and culture, so it seemed to be a great fit,” Amoni said in the press release.
Music will be provided by Brian Kovacs at 2 p.m., Luis and I at 4 p.m., and The Peachtree at 6 p.m. Katiepillar Performance Art will perform throughout the day with a fire dance performance at 5 p.m.
Gillerson’s Grubbery is hosting a beer tent, and Ballydoyle will be serving bratwurst and more. Endiro Coffee will host a children’s area on its patio.
Pinney Street will be closed to vehicular traffic for the event, set to run from 2 to 7 p.m.
For more information, go to www.auroradowntown.org.
Special events planned at Rosary volleyball game
Girls in grades four to eight are invited to Rosary High School in Aurora to cheer on the Rosary Royals vs. Aurora Christian in a volleyball match Oct. 10.
The girls will receive free admission and a free hot dog and drink. The junior varsity game begins at 5 p.m. and the varsity game at 6 p.m.
Oct. 10 is also Spike Out Cancer night at the event which will feature raffles, a silent auction, and a 50/50 raffle. Proceeds will benefit the Visiting Nurses Association. Participants are encouraged to wear a team jersey or wear pink.
Rosary, a Catholic, college-preparatory high school for young women sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois, is at 901 N. Edgelawn Drive in Aurora. For information, go to www.rosaryhs.com.
Harvest Days set at Garfield Farm Museum
Garfield Farm Museum will celebrate its 40th anniversary, hold its annual Harvest Days and dedicate the 1842 hay and grain barn Sunday.
Harvest Days, set for 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., is an annual festival that allows attendees the opportunity to consider and experience what life was like in northern Illinois in the mid-19th century, according to a press release about the event.
Refreshments and food will be offered by Inglenook Pantry and volunteer bakers will sell homemade treats at the museum’s Farmers Market and Bakery in the Atwell Burr House.
There is a $6 donation for adults and $3 for children under 13. For more information, call 630-584-8485 or email info@garfieldfarm.org.
Garfield Farm Museum is in La Fox, located between Geneva and Elburn in Kane County.
TriCity Family Services to celebrate anniversary
TriCity Family Services, a provider of counseling and other mental health services to clients of all ages and income levels, will celebrate its 50th anniversary with an open house from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday.
The event will include complimentary hors d’oeuvres, beverages and dessert at TriCity Family Services’ Main Office, 1120 Randall Court, Geneva.
For more information about TriCity Family Services, call 630-232-1070 or go to www.tricityfamilyservices.org.
Got Pulse? Columnist Joy Davis is looking for interesting, quirky and just plain funny stories about people and places in the Fox Valley. Email her at joydavis234@gmail.com.
