Swedish Days offers ‘six days of fun’
One project, three festivals.
The 62nd annual Midsommar Festival — Swedish Days will mark the start of a building project that will continue through fall.
After the festival’s planning committee contacted homebuilder ShoDeen, the project for the Swedish Days Cottage developed very quickly, said Laura Rush, communications manager of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce.
“We’ve never had an art project (extend) through three festivals,” Rush said.
The project will continue through the Geneva Arts Fair in July and finish at the Festival of the Vine in September.
“It’s something residents can put their mark on. We are very excited and proud of this project.”
The cottage has already been built, acting as a sort of playhouse, with one room, doors and windows. Rush said she could fit inside standing at 5-foot-4-inches.
Each festival will contribute in some way to developing the cottage. At Swedish Days this year, which begin June 21-26 the community will paint the inside and the outside of the cottage. The activity will take place on the Kane County Courthouse lawn. Once it is completed the cottage will be donated to Mutual Ground, a service chosen by ShoDeen that provides safety for domestic violence and sexual assault victims.
The painting will happen on Saturday, June 25, the fifth day of the Swedish Days festival, in downtown Geneva.
This is not all the festival has to offer, which focuses on local food, music and specific family activities.
One new feature Rush said she is very excited about is the QR codes, or quick response codes that are black bar codes on products that smartphones are able to scan to find the website for the item. Geneva restaurants and shops will have QR codes available with specials during the festival.
The event will also have traditional events such as the craft fair that runs Tuesday to Wednesday from 10 a.m., to 6 p.m. on Hamilton Street.
Food and musical entertainment will be provided throughout the entire week, which concludes with a parade on Sunday.
“Every day there’s something new, so if you come one day you haven’t seen it all,” Rush said. “It’s a festival filled with six days of fun.”