Find fun and exciting events happening in Illinois in April.

Different color fiber
Photo credit: Gwendelynn Martindale

Stephenson County Fiber Art Fair

April 6, 2024, Cedarville

The Stephenson County Fiber Art Fair returns to Cedarville. A celebration of fiber and the fiber arts, the fair features spinning and weaving demonstrations and creative workshops in fiber skills for beginners, advanced fiber artists and all levels in between. Visitors will also enjoy browsing the fair’s vendor booths offering fibers and supplies for spinning, weaving, knitting, crocheting, felting and dyeing, as well as finished yarn, dyes, equipment, gifts and more.

Fair admission is $3 for adults and free for children under 12. Visit scfiberartfair.com or call (815) 541-0897 for more information.


Citywide Yard Sale

2024 dates TBD, Columbia

Find your next great buy at one of more than 100 yard sales taking place in Columbia during the second weekend in April. Discover why one person’s trash is another person’s treasure at this spring kickoff to the yard sale season. From clothes to furniture to toys and beyond, you probably won’t go home empty-handed after perusing so many sales in one place.

Visit columbiaillinois.com for a directory of sales a few days before the event, as times of sales vary depending on location. While in Columbia, located just 12 miles south of St. Louis, check out the Historic Main Street area and enjoy the German heritage of this town on the bluffs of the Mississippi River.


Young girls admiring one of the booths at Boneyard Arts Festival
Photo credit: 40 North

Boneyard Arts Festival

April 12-14, 2024, Champaign County

This countywide festival, presented by 40 North, brings together local artists, businesses and organizations for a three-day art celebration. The event takes place in over 90 venues and features the work of more than 100 local artists. Painters, sculptors, weavers, photographers, musicians, poets, actors, dancers and more share and sell their work throughout the weekend. Find more information at 40north.org/programs/boneyard or facebook.com/boneyardarts.


sheep

Southern Illinois Sheep and Craft Festival

April 13, 2024, Waterloo

Held at the Monroe County Fairgrounds, the Southern Illinois Sheep & Craft Festival celebrates the county’s sheep farms with a number of fun activities. Browse sheep crafts and displays, a kids’ corner with Sheep Olympics events, antique tractor display, pedal tractor pulling contest and sheepdog demonstrations. Sheep producers will also be selling vacuum-packaged frozen cuts, and the festival includes a lamb lunch.

For more information, please visit mcsheepproducers.com.


Two girls sitting in the tulip field
Photo credit: Richardson Farm

Richardson Tulip Festival

Mid-April through Mid-May, Spring Grove

Visit Richardson Adventure Farm this spring to see hundreds of thousands of colorful tulips in full bloom at the annual Richardson Tulip Festival. Planted in a beautiful setting near a 36-acre lake, the flower fields feature 30 tulip varieties in colorful blocks as well as a pick-your-own area of mixed colors. In addition to the spectacular flower display, the festival includes weekend music, games and food trucks. Exact festival dates will depend on weather and when the tulips bloom, but the event typically runs for about two to three weeks between mid-April and mid-May each year.

For up-to-date information about this year’s event, visit richardsonadventurefarm.com or facebook.com/richardsonfarmexperience or call (815) 675-9729.


Spring Fest at Eastern Illinois University

April 18-20, 2024, Charleston

Sponsored by Eastern Illinois University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Doudna Fine Arts Center, Spring Fest promotes the work of local Illinois artists while raising funds for art and design scholarships for university students. Visitors can browse about 30 artists’ booths and a consignment area for unique, handcrafted products, watch artist demonstrations, participate in hands-on art activities and more. The festival also features live musical entertainment and food vendors. For more information and a full festival schedule, visit eiu.edu/festival or call (217) 581-6060 or (217) 581-3410.


Performers at the Southern Illinois Steel Guitar Show
Photo credit: Southern Illinois Steel Guitar Show

Southern Illinois Steel Guitar Show

April 18-20, 2024, Mount Vernon

Visit the DoubleTree Inn and Conference Center in Mount Vernon this April for three days of classic country music featuring the steel guitar at the 20th Annual Southern Illinois Steel Guitar Show. This special event presents some of the best steel guitar players in the world as well as local and regional players, singers, vendors and more. Both one-day tickets and three-day passes are available, and all funds raised beyond the cost of producing the shows are donated to Shriners Hospitals for Children. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit southernillinoisproductions.org or call (618) 967-4635.


A pile of mushrooms
Photo credit: iStock/DWalker44

Mushroom Festival

April 21, 2024, Grafton

This annual festival at Pere Marquette Lodge returns for its 15th year. The free family-friendly event offers mushroom hunting, live music, vendors and more. The Great Morel Hunt will be at 1 p.m. (weather permitting) and is open to foragers of all ages and experience levels. After searching the grounds for these delicious delicacies, head back to the lodge to find out who found the biggest, smallest or most morel mushrooms. Winners in each category will receive a free night at the lodge. The festival takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more details, visit pmlodge.net/events/mushroom-festival or call (618) 786-2331.


Junque Jamboree
Photo credit: The Vienna Times

Junque Jamboree

April 27, 2024, Vienna

Browse for unique goods, antiques and collectibles from more than 100 vendors at the semiannual Johnson County Junque Jamboree organized by Vienna Town Square Mall. Booths will offer everything from crafts and home decor to clothing, jewelry, furniture and much more. The event runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the historic Vienna Town Square. Visit facebook.com/ViennaTSM for more details.


Photo credit: Barbershop Harmony Society

Sound of Illinois Chorus, Illinois State University

April 27, 2024, Normal

Enjoy the sweet, sweet sound of a cappella music with the Sound of Illinois chorus. This group, which competes at the international Barbershop Harmony Society competition, brings together musically inclined men of central Illinois to enrich the community. The Sound of Illinois entertains audiences with four-part harmonies and creative musical arrangements and an infectious positive energy. This year’s show will feature hits from Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks and more. To learn about the group’s performances, or to inquire about joining, visit soundofillinois.org.


Village Wide Yard Sale

April 27, 2024, New Baden

Shop till you drop at the Village Wide Yard Sale in New Baden, an annual event held the last Saturday of April.

To scout the daylong sale, simply pick up a list of participating residents’ addresses and types of items they’ll have for sale – available at the New Baden Chamber of Commerce and various local businesses – and get ready to bargain hunt. Looking for a digital map that’ll help you navigate the sale with ease? Check out the Village of New Baden, IL Facebook page, where you can find a link to a Google map with each seller’s location plotted. Participants pay a $5 fee to register their yard sale with proceeds benefiting the village’s annual Breakfast with Santa and Kids Christmas Party.

To learn more about New Baden’s Village Wide Yard Sale, visit newbadenil.com or call (618) 588-3813.


Grant’s Home Front

April 27-28, 2024, Galena

Experience living history firsthand at the annual Grant’s Home Front in Galena. This historic town where President Ulysses S. Grant lived from 1860 to 1865 will host folks from across the state and surrounding area. Witness Confederate and Union infantry dressed in period-specific clothing re-enacting battle scenes from the Civil War fought along the riverfront. Battles take place on Saturday, April 27, at 11:30 a.m. and Sunday, April 28, at 1:30 p.m. For more information, visit tristatehistoricalpresentations.blogspot.com.


Photo Credit: Midwest Daffodil Society Show

Midwest Daffodil Society Show

April 28-29, 2024, Chicago

Daffodils are the reason for the (spring) season at the Midwest Daffodil Society Show at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Hundreds of the iconic yellow flowers will be on display, competing for top prizes in areas such as floral design, cut blooms and photography. Society members will judge and award prizes accordingly. This event is open to daffodil growers of all skill levels. Whether competing or not, everyone can enjoy plenty of delightful displays and designs. For more information, visit chicagobotanic.org or call (847) 835-5440.


Pick-Your-Own Asparagus and Strawberries

April-May, Belleville

Pick-your-own Asparagus season kicks off mid-April and is followed shortly after by pick-your-own strawberries in May. Eckert’s farms have a strict reservation-only system in place for socially distanced fun and time slots must be purchased in advance online. The farm requires guests to wear masks, provides handwashing stations before entering the fields, and sets dividers between families who ride the wagon to the fields. The adapted pick-your-own experiences allow guests to enjoy time in the outdoors and make family memories while remaining safe and socially distanced. Learn more at eckerts.com.

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