9-02-2023 2:03pm

Fall Festival – what better way to celebrate the end of summer?

Children at the 2022 Roscoe Fall Festival hope for a winning number as they spin the wheel at the Harlem-Roscoe Fire booth.

What’s your dining preference? The Roscoe Lions Club Fall Festival, September 8 -10, 2023, will be offering everything from cotton candy to burgers, tacos, sweet corn and more. Food trucks, appealing to every appetite, will be scattered throughout the Leland Park grounds in Roscoe, Illinois. Lots of soft drink options will also be available.

More about the Fall Festival

Roscoe Lions Club Fall Festival returns to Leland Park

Roscoe Lions Fall Festival 2023 Schedule and Information

Fall Festival – what better way to celebrate the end of summer?

Here’s a list of food and outdoor vendors:

Roscoe VFW Post 2955 - Pickles on a stick, super-duper hot dogs, Italian beef.
Creations by Christy, LLC – Plant-based pre-packaged snacks
Teppen Express- Chinese food
Grandma’s Goodies - Pastries and sweets
Grandma’s Sweet Treats - Cookies
Harlem Roscoe Firemen’s Assoc. - Sweet Corn
James and Edna Mae’s Barbecue Sauces
Beef on the Moove - Beef sandwiches
Louie’s Tap House – Tacos and nachos
Rock River Kona Ice
Fry Babies - Cheesy fried combos
Alan Parma - Caricature art
Teddy Mountain of Rockford - Teddy Bear creations
Lee Jacobs JPG - Corn dogs and hot dogs
Pizza on Earth - Pizza
Jackie Albert Street Snacks – Cheese curds, pickle chips, Mexican nachos
Batchz Barbecue – Barbecue beef sandwiches
Skinner's Amusements - Pizza, popcorn, fries, drinks

For the over 21 crowd, Poison Ivy Pub will be offering beer, wine and Bloody Marys in their beer tent. The tent opens at 5 p.m. on Friday, noon on Saturday and Sunday.

The Lions Café, under the direction of Ruth Meiborg, will be cooking up homestyle meals.

On Friday, opening day, Meiborg will be serving creamed chicken on a biscuit with all the trimmings. On Saturday, ham dinner is on the menu. Sunday features pork chops. All dinners include scalloped potatoes, green beans and rolls.

Members of the Oak Ridge Riders Snowmobile Club will be cooking up hamburgers and hot dogs, plus chips, in the Lions Café all three festival days.

Adding to the list of food options, a hearty community breakfast at Leland Park, hosted and prepared by the Roscoe United Methodist Men, takes place Sunday, September 10. Pancakes (all you can eat pancakes), sausages, and drinks will be served, 7 - 9:45 a.m.

Cost is $8.00. Get there early, before the Lions Festival Parade starts at 11 a.m.

Bingo in the Lions Shelter house always draws big crowds and great prizes. Games begin on Friday, September 8, at 6 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, play begins at 1:00 pm.

Lions Club members will be calling numbers all weekend. Bingo tickets are $1 each or 4 for $3.

Fall Festival always features two parades: the Kiddie Parade at the park on Saturday, and the big Lions Festival Parade on Main Street on Sunday.

The Kiddie Parade begins at 10 a.m., Saturday. Sept. 9. Children and parents can line up in the Lions Bingo tent prior to the parade. The theme of this year’s parade is, “your favorite costume.” However, wearing a costume is optional.

The children will be winding through the grounds at Leland Park, and end up at the Main Stage. Prizes will be awarded for best costumes in two age groups: 1 to 5 years, and 6 to 10 years. Two boys and two girls in each group will receive a special prize. The winners will be invited to participate in the Main Street parade. All participants will receive a free drink coupon and a ride coupon.

The Fall Festival parade will feature marching bands from Hononegah High School, Roscoe Middle School and Willowbrook Middle School.

The parade is Sunday, September 10, beginning at 11 a.m. Roscoe VFW Post 2955 Color Guard will be leading the way. Floats, marching bands from Hononegah Community High School, Willowbrook Middle School and Roscoe Middle School, Lions Club members, Roscoe dignitaries, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, local businesses, political representatives, Harlem Roscoe Fire Department, and Roscoe Police Department officers will be marching along Main Street.

The parade starts at Bridge Street and concludes at Williams Street, near Main Street Square.

Main Street will be closed to all vehicle traffic from 10:15 a.m. to approximately 1 p.m.

No vehicle traffic will be allowed to travel east on Williams Drive from Rt 251 and will only be allowed to turn north onto Rt. 251 from Williams Drive.

Come early, bring blankets and lawn chairs to get a front row seat along the parade route.

Raffle tickets can be purchased from any Lions Club member. They will be roaming the festival grounds or you can find them at their booth throughout the weekend.

The grand prize winner will walk away with $3,000 in cash. Second place is $1,500 in cash, and ten winners will receive $50 in cash.

Winners will be announced at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon, on the Main Stage.