Our annual Fall Arts Stroll is Sunday September 16th.
11am-4pm at the Historic Kankakee Depot.
Before the Stroll begins, a 5 K Run and 1 M Walk will
be held to benefit the Community Arts Council Carlson
Scholarship fund. Find the application below.
Stephanie Rogers loves to run so it’s not too
surprising that she joined the Kankakee
Running Club. But Rogers, a fourth grade teacher
at Shabbona Elementary School in Bourbonnais,
has other two interests – children and art.
So how does she combine all three? By
helping Community Arts Council of Kankakee
County offer a new event at the annual Fall
Art Stroll Sept. 16 in downtown Kankakee.
She is planning a 5/K run/1 mile walk to
raise funds for student art scholarships. “I think art is very important to children
and so does the Arts Council. I thought
this event would be a good way to bring
the rest of the community together to
help promote art for youth,” she said.
“Kids also are helping with the event.
High school students are making art-related
prizes for winners and elementary students
are designing the goodie bags for participants.” The stroll, annually presented by the
Community Arts Council and the Kankakee
Event Partnership, will be 11a.m.-4 p.m.
at the Historic Train Depot at 100 S. East
Ave. And while the vendors are setting up,
runners and walkers will be busy registering
6:30-7:30 a.m. near the Depot area so
they can set off at 8 a.m. to follow their
routes. There will be free T-shirts to all
participants and prizes to winners of
categories which cover all age levels of
children and adults. This will be just one of many attractions
for this year’s stroll. The picturesque Depot
Park, with its flower flanked walkways,
eye-catching fountain and restored Depot
building, will be the scene for more than 80
vendors displaying a variety of handmade fine
arts and crafts. There also will be two areas
featuring entertainment and almost a dozen
booths featuring food fare. Added to the festivities will be the Kankakee
Train Museum’s annual Railfest activities,
guaranteed to pique the interest of children
of all ages. Featured will be excerpts from
the “Harvey Girls” movie and a timetable
display in the railroad coach, carved wooden
animals and an authentic velocipede 1880s
push handcart in the Trolley Barn, plus a
chance to view the caboose, H.O. train
exhibit and a railroad China display. Another treat will be two Elvis singers and
a 50’s street dance, all featured to highlight
the celebration of Kankakee Valley Theatre’s 50th
anniversary. The group will open its season in
October with “All Shook Up,” a musical featuring
Elvis’ songs. Stroll vendors will display a wider array of
crafts and arts than ever, including wheel-thrown
and Raku pottery, heirloom rocking horses,
photography, acrylic, oil and watercolor paintings,
carved and wood-turned products, all types
of hand-designed jewelry, painted porcelain,
hand painted glass, enameled copper pieces,
architectural artifacts, garden ornaments,
floral arrangements, purses and textile items.
Vendors will display at the park grounds, along
Merchant Street west of Schuyler Avenue and
inside the Depot and other nearby buildings. Other attractions will include a demonstration
of chain saw wood sculpturing, a huge used
book sale held by the Friends of the Kankakee
Public Library and several raffles. Also learn
more about the seasonal offerings of the
Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra, KVT,
Easy Street Theater, Acting Out Theater and
the Sugar Creek Symphony. There also will
be information about tours of the B. Harley
Bradley House, built by Frank Lloyd Wright in
Kankakee in 1900. Tickets also will be sold for the Barn Quilt
guided tours Sept. 29 and 30. There are now
50 large wooden squares depicting quilt patterns
hanging on local barns to celebrate the area’s
agriculture heritage. Entertainment, performed on stages at both
the back and front of the depot building,
will include singing groups and soloists ranging
from gospel to rock and pop, a seven-piece
musical ensemble, a saxophone quartet and
other instrumentalists; dancers featuring
everything from country and interpretive to
folk and Intrinsic Fire dancing; and performances
By piano students. Children’s events will center around The Depot’s
gazebo area. This year the Exploration Station, a
Children’s Museum, will feature hands-on art
activities and a puppet show. There also will
be art activities, face and henna painting and
even let youngsters try their hand at juggling
and hoop dancing. Kim Kruger, a children’s
author, also will bring her book, “World of
Traegonia,” along with sculptures and
figurines of its characters. The delicious variety of food will include soup,
kabobs, brats, burgers, hot dogs, barbecue,
Italian beef and pulled pork sandwiches,
kettle corn, caramel apples, ice cream,
baked goods, salsas, jams, jellies and
seasonal fruits and vegetables. Come and celebrate the arts in Kankakee
at the Fall Art Stroll. Admittance is free.
Parking will be available just east of the railroad
tracks on Court Street, at the Farmers' Market
and the Library and any other downtown lot.
The lot between the fountain and Merchant
Street will be for those needing handicap
parking. Those guests entering from the
east may enter the festival through the Clock
Tower, Out on a Limb, or Merchant Street.
See you on Sunday!!
(Open the attachment below for a larger
view of the Entertainment Schedule)
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