Northbrook Days Nets $95K For Scholarships, Community Grants

NORTHBROOK, IL — Despite having to close early on Friday night due to a thunderstorm, organizers of the Northbrook Days festival are calling the five-day event a financial success. The Northbrook Civic Foundation and its Northbrook Days Festival Committee announced Tuesday that the 2021 festival netted $95,000 for college scholarships and community grants.

Bringing the festival back downtown to a new location – the west lot of the Northbrook Metra Train Station – was "clearly a winning solution," according to organizers. Attendance figures were not available because it is free to enter the festival grounds. The best financial year for the festival was in 2016 when it earned $112,000 for scholarships and grants.

“It was fantastic being back in the heart of downtown Northbrook once again, particularly after last year’s Covid-19 cancellation,” Northbrook Civic Foundation President Ellen Westel said in a news release. “Thank you to everyone who attended and to all the community volunteers who helped make the festival happen. This hometown tradition has been around for nearly a century, and we look forward to continuing it again next year.”

The Northbrook Civic Foundation intends to soon begin discussing plans with the Village of Northbrook about the possibility of hosting the August 2022 festival at the same location again.

The Northbrook Civic Foundation thanked festival sponsors for their support, as well as the Village of Northbrook, the Northbrook Police Department, the Northbrook Fire Department, and the Northbrook Park District for providing logistical support.

Planned and staffed by volunteers, Northbrook Days is a summer tradition that brings the community together, while a testament to local generosity, according to the news release. Each year the festival features local food and drink, exciting carnival games and rides, big ticket raffle prizes, and exciting 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, such as the Northbrook Public Library, Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook, Northbrook Community Nursery School, Northbrook Historical Society, Northfield Township Food Pantry, Josselyn Center, Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association (NSSRA) and Northbrook Baseball. Any non-profit organization that serves the citizens of Northbrook and needs grant support, visit the Project Funding page and consider submitting a Foundation Grant Request.

Want to get involved in your community? Join the Northbrook Civic Foundation! Contact info@northbrookcivic.com.

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.

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