Northbrook Days Festival Canceled; Raffle Tradition Continues

NORTHBROOK, IL — The Northbrook Days Festival has been a rite of summer for nearly 100 years in Northbrook. Due to the coronavirus, this year's 96th edition is a no-go as announced Tuesday by the Northbrook Civic Foundation. The festival was scheduled for Aug. 5-9.

The Festival Committee is developing a plan to still conduct a raffle so the foundation can at least
partially continue its mission of funding college scholarships for graduating high school seniors and grants for local community organizations, according to a press release. Details will be announced as they are finalized.

“Given the serious public health concerns and the state orders limiting large public gatherings, we see no logical path toward hosting the village’s largest event safely this year,” said Ellen Westel, president of the Northbrook Civic Foundation, which plans and hosts Northbrook Days. “We are saddened to say that like so many summer traditions, we will need to take this year off, but we look forward to planning Northbrook Days 2021.”

Organizers said in addition to the raffle, they are looking for other means to fundraise to continue its mission of giving scholarships and grants back to the community.

Earlier this year, the Northbrook Civic Foundation reached an agreement with the Northbrook Park District and Village of Northbrook to allow Northbrook Days to return to the downtown area, including portions of Village Green Park, for the 2020 festival.

Planned and staffed by volunteers, with support from the park district and village, Northbrook Days is a summer tradition that brings community together, while being a testament to local generosity. Each year the festival features a wide variety of local food and beverage options, exciting carnival games and rides, big ticket raffle prizes, great live music.

Northbrook Days is the only annual fundraiser for the Northbrook Civic Foundation, which has been supporting the local community for more than 100 years.

Over the years, the Northbrook Civic Foundation has provided grants to many Northbrook non-profit and social service agencies, including: Northbrook Park District, Northbrook Public Library, Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook, Village of Northbrook, International Center on Deafness & the Arts, Northbrook Community Nursery School, Northbrook Historical Society, Northfield Township Food Pantry, North Suburban YMCA, Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts, Glenbrook North Grad Night, The Josselyn Center, Northbrook Community Garden, Northbrook Centennial Plaza, Northbrook Symphony, Special Gifts Theatre, Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association, Northbrook Baseball, Care Packages to Military Northbrook residents overseas, and Northbrook Citizens for Drug and Alcohol Awareness.

The Northbrook Civic Foundation was originally established in 1907 as the Shermerville Improvement Club. The Civic name was adopted in 1925. The Northbrook Civic Foundation, a non-profit volunteer organization of neighbors and friends, has raised more than $3.2 million and converted those funds into scholarships for college-bound students and donated to worthwhile organizations in Northbrook.