Johnsburg festival shakes routines

From the Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008 edition of the Northwest Herald:

Johnsburg festival shakes routines
By DIANA SROKA - dsroka@nwherald.com

JOHNSBURG – Saturday night at Johnsburg’s Saufen und Spiel festival was like a big neighborhood block party.

“You always meet somebody you know,” McHenry resident Judy Jonas said.

Familiar faces and out-of-town visitors flooded the Johnsburg Community Club at the 37th annual festival Saturday.

For 61-year-old Jonas, the festival is an annual affair she enjoys with her mother, Joyce Mohr of Johnsburg. But others found the festival a refreshing change to their summer routines.

“We drove by it a lot and never stopped,” said Keith Justen of Spring Grove. “So this time we decided to come by.”

Justen hadn’t been to the festival in about 30 years, and he and his wife, Heather, thought it would be a good experience for their young family.

“[We wanted] to get these guys in the atmosphere,” they said, pointing to their 8-month-old son, Parker; 3-year-old daughter, Madison; and 15-year-old daughter, Allie.

The park was filled with people snacking on ears of roasted corn and tapping their feet to music. Other residents gathered around a makeshift bar, chatting and snacking on peanuts.

For Townsend and Vickie Barlow of Round Lake Park the main attraction was the Jim Barret Banjo Band.

“He likes to play the banjo,” Vickie Barlow said as her husband kept an attentive ear to the music.

The three-day festival concludes today.

The day kicks off with the annual parade at 12:30 p.m., which will follow a reverse route from previous years.

The 120-entry parade will end at the Johnsburg Community Club, 2315 Church Ave., where there will be plenty of food, games and live music.