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Family Fest 2026 A Business and Community Showcase – April 11

MINOOKA – Spring is upon us, and the Grundy Chamber’s annual Family Fest is a great way to kick-off the season with free fun for all.

This free, family-friendly event will be Saturday, April 11 at Minooka JR High School, 333 McEvilly Rd., Minooka. Family Fest will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. We welcome back the reptile show, balloon art, and the local business expo filled with products and giveaways, as well as face painting and jump houses.

Family Fest is a family-centered business expo showcasing the programs, products and services available throughout greater Grundy County, all while providing entertainment for families. The event is presented by CPV Three Rivers Energy Center, Heartland Bank and Evergreen Roadworks LLC. DePue Mechanical, D’Arcy Chevrolet and Vistra Kendall Power Plant are this year’s event sponsors. The Performance Area at Family Fest is sponsored by Silverthorne Homebuilders. Thanks to all these sponsors for ensuring this event is free for families.

This is the only event of its kind available to local residents. Consumers can find information on health and beauty, financial and community services, home improvement, childcare, insurance, education and more.

“Family Fest in Minooka is where community comes to life” Heartland Bank Branch Manager Jessica Enervold said, “bringing families together for fun while giving local businesses the perfect place to shine is what Family Fest is all about.”

The vendor expo opens at 9 a.m. and will offer entertainment, raffles, demonstrations, kids’ activities and more. Families are encouraged to attend together, as there is something for all ages.

One of the most exciting aspects of Family Fest is the Kids Zone, sponsored by Hexagon Real Estate, Procter & Gamble, Sherwood Oaks/ The Country Farmhouse, ONEOK, Financial Plus Credit Union, Village of Minooka, Grundy Bank, Little Learners Children’s Academy, The Pointe at Morris, Surf Internet, Channahon Park District, and Joliet Junior College. Kids Zone is an activities area that provides ongoing child-centered activities like Dave DiNaso’s Traveling World of Reptiles. The jump houses are also located in the Kids Zone.

Stop by the Kids Zone anytime from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for coloring, activities, and visits with mascots. Mascots will be available all day. The reptile show presentation will be at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Kids also will be able to get free balloon animals from Lisa’s Face Painting & Balloons, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. She will be located in the expo area. The balloons are free thanks to Morris Hospital YMCA & Village of Shorewood YMCA.

Lynda with Anything-Art (painting faces and spaces) will be providing face painting from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. If a line is present, Lynda will stop taking kids at 12:00 p.m. in order to complete all in line by 12:30 p.m.

This fun activity is being sponsored by American Commercial Bank & Trust and is free but also is first come first serve.

In addition, an autograph session and shoot out will be held by Chamber member – Minooka Hockey Club at 9:45 a.m. in the Kids Zone gym.

“There are few places where you can meet a new dentist, find a new lipstick and pet a lizard all in one place – but Family Fest is one of them,” Chamber President & CEO Christina Van Yperen said. “Our annual Family Fest event is fun, informational and free to attend. We can’t wait to see everyone April 11.”

For more information, please contact the Chamber at (815) 942-0113 or email Anne@grundychamber.com

Forte’ Arts Center performers return to Family Fest

The Channahon Minooka Chamber and Grundy County Chamber are excited to welcome Forte’ Arts Center back for this year’s Family Fest!

Forte’ Art Center’s performers are highly skilled students who will demonstrate their talents in-person at 12 p.m. in the Kids Zone at the Performance Area sponsored by Silverthorne Homes, during Family Fest April 11 at Minooka Junior High. The performance will feature dancers ages 7 and up who will be performing routines in various styles.

“We started as a very small studio but have grown to become the largest dance studio in the area,” Owner Pam Simpson said.

Forte’ Arts Center has two locations, one in Morris at 1200 Division Street and one in Channahon at 24805 S. Tryon Street.

Dance classes are offered in tap, jazz, ballet, modern, contemporary, musical theatre, hip hop and tumbling. Preschool dance classes are offered starting at 18 months. In addition, their Magical Moments class is an inclusive class focusing on skill development, self-empowerment, and celebrating our differences. Private music lessons are also available in piano, ukulele, guitar, drums, and voice for ages 5 and up.

For more information on Forte’ Arts Center visit forteartcenter.com.

KENDALL POWER PLANT

MINOOKA- Owner of Lisa’s Face Painting & Balloons Lisa Hill has been entertaining families since she was a child learning from her mother, who was a professional clown.

“I have entertained everywhere you can think of, such as block parties to corporate events to parades. So, you could say my brother and I have been born into the business,” Hill said in her bio on her website.

During Family Fest she will be offering free balloon creations from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the expo area thanks to a sponsorship by Morris Hospital YMCA & Village of Shorewood YMCA. Depending on the line, the balloon art line may be cut off at 12 p.m. to make sure all waiting get a balloon.

“At Family Fest we love that the kids get to take something home with them to enjoy from their day with us. A balloon creation is a unique gift children can play with and create memories with,” Grundy Chamber President & CEO Christina Van Yperen said.

For more information on Hill’s face painting and balloon services visit lisafacepaintingandballoons.com.

American Commercial Bank & Trust

Associated Orthodontists Ltd.

Brothers Country Supply

Budget Blinds of Shorewood

Busey Bank

Channahon Park District

Channahon Lanes

CPV Three Rivers

D’Arcy Chevrolet

DePue Mechanical

Downers Grove Sportsmen’s Club

Easterseals Joliet

Edward Jones – Gehrig Denoyer

Evergreen Roadworks

Financial Plus Credit Union

Furry Haven Premium Pet Care

Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana

Great Water USA

Grundy – Kendall County Farm Bureau

Grundy Bank

Heartland Bank

Hexagon Real Estate

Joliet Slammers

Joliet Junior College

LeafFilter Gutter Protection

Little Learners Children’s Academy

Mary Kay – Jeni Tjelle

Minooka Fire Protection District

Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers

Morris Hospital YMCA & Village of Shorewood YMCA

NAMI Will & Grundy County

Nicor Gas

ONEOK

Pregnancy Resource Center of Grundy County

Procter & Gamble

Sponsors & Consumer Expo Vendor list:

Activities and information from area vendors will be available

Red Ritchey Carter Orthodontics

Sarah Hughes – Farmers Insurance

Sherwood Oaks Waffle Café

Silverthorne Home Builders

SOCU

Surf Internet

The Pointe at Morris

Three Rivers Public Library

Three Wells Acupuncture Clinic

United Way of Grundy County

Village of Minooka

Vistra – Kendall Power Plant

* This list reflects vendors as of deadline.

* Company names bolded reflect companies who have sponsored Family Fest 2026.

Schedule of Events

Fest is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

l 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Kids Zone and Consumer Expo open all day

l 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Lynda with Anything-Art (painting faces and spaces) in Expo Area

Programs

WHERE THE FUN NEVER ENDS Summer Camp

GREATER JOLIET AREA YMCA (815) SAY-YMCA | www.jolietymca.org

BANKING THAT GROWS WITH YOUR FAMILY

From First Piggy Bank to First Home

We’re here for every step of your family’s journey.

Start smart with kids savings

Build strong financial habits for teens

Plan for life’s biggest milestones

Grow your future with confidence

Free face painting back at Family Fest

MINOOKA –It’s not unusual to see mini superheroes, princesses and even wild animals running around the Grundy County Chamber’s annual Family Fest –but don’t worry it’s just kids with painted faces!

Thanks to a sponsorship by American Commercial Bank & Trust, Lynda with Anything-Art (painting faces and spaces) will be painting children’s faces for free from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Family Fest Saturday, April 11 at Minooka Junior High School. If a line is at the booth at 12, the booth will close off the line to finish all kids by 12:30 p.m.

The face painting booth will be inside the business expo portion of Family Fest so parents and guardians can stop at the 40 plus other vendor booths while their children have their face painted into a tiger, Spiderman, fairy princess and more.

“Face Painting is always a huge hit at events and we expertly transform little guests into princesses, superheroes, butterflies and villains, and there will be zombies and vampires running around too,” Lynda Mahalik, owner of Anything-Art said in a news release.

Traveling World of Reptiles to hold two shows at Family Fest April 11

MINOOKA - If you have never seen the Traveling World of Reptiles it can best be described as an up-close, live, and extremely interactive or “hands-on” experience about reptiles and amphibians from around the world.

Dave DiNaso’s Traveling World of Reptiles has become a tradition at the Grundy Chamber’s annual Family Fest and is back again this year. This year’s showings will be at 10:10 a.m. and again at 11 a.m. during Family Fest on Saturday, April 11 at Minooka Junior High. The shows, as well as Family Fest overall, are free to attend. Check out the reptiles at the Performance Area, sponsored by Silverthorne Homes, in the Kids Zone.

“Every year we have families who return to Family Fest thanks to the hands-on, fun, and friendly experience Dave DiNaso’s Traveling World of Reptiles provides. Children and adults have the opportunity to get up close to animals they do not get to encounter often,” Christina Van Yperen, Chamber President & CEO said. Dave DiNaso’s Traveling World of Reptiles is sponsored by Red Ritchey Carter Orthodontics.

Families will be able to see and pet snakes, turtles, lizards and more.

“The Traveling World of Reptiles blends education and a unique style of humor to form an original experience that makes the presentation every bit as entertaining as it is educational,” DiNaso said in a news release.

If you would like the opportunity to see, touch, and learn about reptiles from all over the world and laugh a lot while doing so, attend the Traveling World of Reptiles show at Family Fest.