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Winnetka Children’s Fair set for Friday
Colleen Condon, right, enjoys a snow cone with best friend Margot Fiegen at 2010's Winnetka Children's Fair. | File photo
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Updated: August 22, 2012 2:54AM
Jane McCoy knows she gushes a bit when talking about the annual Winnetka Children’s Fair, set to begin at 10 a.m. Friday at the Village Green at Elm and Maple streets.
“It is truly magical and exciting,” said McCoy, co-chair of the fair which is now in its 66th year.
Classes at Winnetka schools are set to end at 11 a.m. Friday — just after the fair opens. There’s something wonderful about children getting out of school and going directly to the fair to kick off their summer vacations, she said.
“School gets out early and they rush to the fair,” McCoy said. “It is just so special, and we have rides for all different ages … that appeals to all different levels.”
The event has always been one of the largest fundraisers for the Winnetka Community Nursery School, she said. The school’s board coordinates nearly 700 volunteers “who work side-by-side to give children an unforgettable experience,” according to a prepared statement.
“We have been doing it for so long that it has become a community tradition. Some years, we haven’t made a lot of money … particularly if there are any rainy days, but the community loves it,” McCoy said.
Admission to the fair is free, but there are charges for rides and carnival games. There will be a cakewalk, hair and face painting, and a kiddie land where children are guaranteed to win a prize, McCoy said. Typical “carnival food” will also be for sale there.
Rides this year include swings, a kiddie roller coaster, two giant slides, the “Paratrooper” for older kids, bounce houses, and other children’s rides.
The rides are already in place, delivered Tuesday morning, McCoy said. She’s been on the nursery school board for six years, and for the last several has co-chaired or volunteered for the event — partially due to her own and her children’s excitement for the fair.
“It is a lot of work to put it on, but when the week comes and the fair comes, I get such a magical high from being there and being a part of it. My kids are ecstatic,” McCoy said.
The fair “is just kids having fun and enjoying themselves, kids having fun at the end of the school year,” she added.
The Children’s Fair runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
To learn more about the fair and how to can get involved by volunteering or sponsoring, please visit the website at www.winnetkachildrensfair.com.
