MACOMB, IL –The Macomb Area Convention & Visitor’s Bureau (MACVB) has announced that Macomb’s annual Art, Wind & Fire Festival weekend will be held the weekend of September 8th to 10th this year.
This year, the Festival will offer more events than years past. In addition to the signature featured events including the 52nd Gazebo Art Festival, the annual YFC Disc Golf Tournament, and the 35th annual Macomb Hot Air Balloon Rally, attendees will also be treated to Forgottonia’s 50th Anniversary celebration as well as the inaugural WIU Mega Reunion.
ART: The Gazebo Art Festival will take place takes in Chandler Park on Saturday from 9:00 AM- 4:00 PM, featuring an art sale that showcases dozens of regional artists exhibiting original works of art in all mediums including, paint, sculpture, photography, jewelry, ceramics, fiber and many more. The event is free and all works will be on sale to the public. Details at www.facebook.com/GazeboArtFestival.
WIND: Macomb Youth For Christ will be holding their Open Mystery Challenge Disc Golf Tournament, which is open to the
public and tees off at 9:00 AM on Saturday at the Macomb Park District’s Everwood Disc Course. Registration begins at 8:00 AM and the tournament will be played at both the Park District’s Everwood Disc Course and WIU’s Sipolt Memorial Course. Entry is $40 per player with all funds raised directly benefiting youth in the community. Find more details and register
at https://www.yfcwi.org/macomb-yfc-open-2023
FIRE: The Annual Balloon Rally, which began in 1987, returns for its 35th anniversary and opens at 6:00 PM on Friday night. Attendees will be able to enjoy food, beverages and live music as they watch over 20 giant Hot-Air Balloons lift off and fly out from Vince Grady Field on the campus of WIU. Then Saturday, beginning in the early hours of the morning and lasting all day, they’ll be able to witness the skies across Macomb filled with balloons. Following the WIU Leatherneck football game there’ll be food trucks at Vince Grady Field, as well as live music and hot air balloons which will be prepping to take off as soon as the sun sets for “The Balloon Glow” For more information, visit www.facebook.com/MacombBalloonRally.
The Forgottonia 50th Anniversary Celebration will begin at 11:30am in Forgottonia’s “capital” of Fandon where Neil Gamm became the self-appointed Governor. There, the main road will be officially declared by McDonough County board president Scott Schwerer as the Gov. Neal Gamm Forgottonia Freeway along with a military gun salute to the former Vietnam veteran. This will be followed at 1:30pm at Macomb’s Forgottonia Brewing with Mayor Mike Inman proclaiming the date as Gov. Neal Gamm Day with a group toast to Gamm accompanied by a band performance from Forgottonia Train Wreck.
WIU MEGA Reunion will be be an entire weekend event starting on Friday, Sept. 8th at 5:00 pm on the campus of Western Illinois University and lasting through the afternoon of Sunday the 10th. In addition to all the above events, the MEGA Reunion will also feature a Reunion Social, a Mega-Tent Cook Out & Tailgate Party, the WIU Leathernecks Football game, the Painting of The Paws, Community Service events and even more events to be announced. For details visit https://www.wiumegareunion.com or https://www.wiu.edu/alumni/megareunion.php
