ROCHELLE – Rochelle hosted its 22nd Annual Lincoln Highway Heritage Festival this past weekend and it was a hit for both residents within the community and visiting ones as well.
The festival took place Friday through Sunday with the carnival rides, food and drink favorites and live music on tap each day among many planned entertainment events.
Friday featured the Kiwanis Club’s Little Miss Peanut Pageant on the main stage before the headlining music act of the night, while Sunday included Pancakes in the Park put on by the Lions Club and the Lincoln Highway Heritage Festival Parade.
One of the most anticipated highlights each year is the Hub City Cruisers Car Show on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Saturday morning rain this year kept a few of the car owners from coming out, but there were still plenty of classic cars for attendees to admire.

“The show is very good, it is a better turnout that we thought with the rain. Little less cars than normal but the weather probably scared them away,” said Brad Dewey.
Even though there may have been slightly fewer cars than normal, that didn’t stop car fans from finding their favorite ones of the bunch.  
“My favorite car from the show has to be one of the two 1966 Chevy 2 Novas,” added Kim Hawkins.
While the car show and live bands were the favorite part of the festival for many of the adults, the carnival rides and games drew the attention of many of the kids. But for one kid attending with his father and sister, his favorite part is walking around and looking at all the different shops set up.
“My experience has been pretty good so far, but my favorite year was two years ago when they had three times as many shops and a lot more stuff,” said Liam Wise.
Among the other events throughout the weekend was a flag raising ceremony at noon on Saturday. The ceremony took place at the north end of the festival and the large flag was hung from the ladder of one of the Rochelle Fire Department engines.
Whether attending for the live music and carnival rides with the family or for the car show with friends, this festival has become an end of summer celebration for the whole community.
“This event is a great way for the community to come together when the school year is starting, it is a great time for the kids to have fun,” said Jodi Riley.