ROCHELLE — There was great turnout for this year’s Lincoln Highway Heritage Festival this past weekend — all three days, according to festival committee chair Lisa Chrisco.
“Everything went off beautifully. It was a beautiful weekend for a perfect festival,” Chrisco said.
The festival kicked off Friday night with carnival rides and the Little Miss Peanut contest and was followed by music from Back Country Roads.
“The number in attendance has increased,” Chrisco said. “On Friday night there were hardly any chairs left [in the main stage area] at the end of the night.”
Attendance remained steady, and maybe even higher than normal on Saturday with many events taking place.
The Hub City Cruisers hosted the car and motorcycle show downtown from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and carnival rides, food and craft vendors and main stage entertainment kept visitors busy.

Saturday’s entertainment included Tim Gleason, Rochelle Performing Arts, Southern Ride, 3 Good Men and Eliminator.
“I just want to say thank you to all the sponsors, the street department, electric and water departments for getting all the hook-ups, barricades and everything needed in place to keep the festival a safe and fun family experience,” Chrisco said.
Volunteers also played a large role in the success of the festival.
“Our committee members love Rochelle and are a huge key to the success of the festival. A big thank you to our committee,” she added.
Sunday events included the second morning of Pancakes in the Park by the Rochelle Lions Club, a worship service, carnival rides, the festival parade and main stage entertainment — Just for Kix and Mr. Big Stuff.

Parade winners
This year’s parade winners included the Flagg-Rochelle Public Library (Presidential Award), Central Bank Illinois (Mayor’s Award) and First Baptist Church (Grand Marshal’s Award).
The 50-50 raffle winner was also announced Sunday at 6 p.m. This year’s winner is Al Kvool, who took home $3,720.
“I just really want to thank the community for coming out and making this another great year,” Chrisco said. “Each year our volunteers work hard to improve and implement ideas – we are already working on plans for next year’s festival.”
Volunteers are always welcome. The committee meets on a regular basis throughout the year to plan for the annual end-of-summer event. For more information visit www.lincolnhighwayheritagefestival.org or on Facebook at Lincoln Highway Heritage Festival.