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Health & Fitness

Take advantage of all Libertyville has to offer this weekend.

Libertyville Days helped form who I am today. Take a few hours and experience all that the carnival has to offer to you and your family.

I hope that all of us take a few hours and enjoy the fun and entertainment at the this week. This is the setting of many of my favorite memories from the last 25 years.    

The food, the games, the nausea after the riding the Zipper, each of these remind me of my teenage years of the late ‘80s and early 90s.  Most were framed around the antics of my friends and which teenaged young lady I was hoping to see at the carnival.  

None was worse than my group of 13-year-old friends and our iron gut challenge. Let’s just say that a full belly of carnival food and then racing between the most intense rides to prove your stomach’s fortitude is not a wise teenaged decision.

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For the past decade my post-collegiate time at the festival took a twist. An early career in politics made this hometown festival an opportunity to reach thousands of my friends and neighbors and introduce them to a few leaders that I believe in. The antics of friends matured moved into the beer garden but the resulting memories remain.

This year I will be making another change.

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For the first time in more than ten years, my time at Libertyville Days will include watching, not walking in, the parade. I am excited to see my two-year old scrambling for candy and covered in political stickers…although I will censor which ones she actually wears.  

On Friday evening, I am excited for another change. A few blocks west on Lake Street, the hometown Lake Shore Lynx semi-pro football team will be facing the Wilmot Phoenix at Butler Lake Park. Starting at 8 p.m., the family friendly game is timed well for a quick dinner at Libertyville Days, take in the football game and then a celebratory trip to the beer garden to wrap up the last hour and a half of the evening. 

So if you’re sitting back and pondering whether to spend a few hours at Libertyville Days, or allow your teenaged child to partake in the celebration, my recommendation is a resounding yes.  Today I can honestly say that these summer festivals provide many highlights for the community and a relatively safe environment for our youth to explore a little independence. But remind the kids that how much they eat also dictates how frequently they are visiting some very popular port-a-potties.

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