Geneva resident Becky Hruby said celebrating the history of the town she lives in never gets old, and that the annual Swedish Days event, now running through Sunday, never fails to deliver.
“For me, I’ve been coming here for more than the last 20 years,” Hruby said Wednesday. “I always bring kids here. My own as well as those that I watch. At night I like to come with my family and friends and we like to hang out on the lawn and listen to the bands and support local businesses.”
The Geneva Chamber of Commerce rolled out the 76th Swedish Days festival on Wednesday, a five-day entertainment, shopping and eating extravaganza that continues to draw thousands each year to downtown Geneva.
The event dates back to 1949, where the Chamber’s website notes the celebration “originally began as an event to promote and build business for Geneva after World War II when the economy was booming.”
Featured attractions this year include community pickleball and dodgeball tournaments, a craft beer tent, carnival rides, a parade and the central stage on South Third Street where nightly entertainment is featured.
Elisa Reamer, communications coordinator for the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, said that new elements this year “would include themed entertainment nights which are always free.”
“Friday night, we are passing out beach balls and you can throw some in the air or keep them,” she said. “Saturday, we have foam light-up glow sticks to just light up the night.”
Another new feature this year is a Doodle Booth, which Reamer said replaces the typical photo booth.
“Instead of going into a photo booth and getting a strip of photos we have a local artist named Spencer Donahue who will draw people and ink-style portrait draw you for 25 cents,” she said.
Over the years, Reamer said both repeat and first-time visitors continue to be drawn to three key elements at the fest.
“It’s the free entertainment, the carnival and Sunday’s grand parade at 1 p.m. which this year will have 82 entries, the biggest ever. Those are the biggest hits,” she said. “We also have food booths all along Third Street and throughout downtown … and all of the restaurants are all open and stores are open later too.
“I think one of the most important things about our festival is that it’s all locally-owned businesses here and people are able to come out and get to meet the owners too working inside the stores or the sidewalk sales,” Reamer added.
Sam McDonald of St. Charles said a big part of attending Swedish Days “is just the community aspect of it.”
“It’s nice to run into people you know and catch up with them and support local businesses, but also the fundraisers here are great,” McDonald said on Wednesday. “Over time … it’s grown. Everyone has gotten involved and it draws people in from other communities too.”
St. Charles resident James Hultgren brought his children on Wednesday to the fest.
“The kids love the carnival and the outdoor artisan thing is great. You get to see lots of cool things,” he said. “A lot of the restaurants and shops bring their stuff to the street and, unless you wander in you don’t see that stuff so it’s neat to see some of the specialty treats that are offered and some of the antique stuff.
“These events are so important in terms of creating a sense of community,” he added. “So many towns in the suburbs feel kind of cookie-cutter. You can drive from one to the other and there’s not a big difference. These events help make a town a town stand out.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
