Illinois
Centralia Balloon Fest
August 16–18 Centralia’s summer sky will come alive with more than 35 colorful hot air balloons. Flights take off morning and night, weather permitting, from Foundation Park. Balloon Glows on Friday and Saturday nights will illuminate the park. Live music, cardboard boat races, craft and food vendors, and tethered balloon rides ($10) add to the fun. Admission is $5. Centralia.
Murphysboro Apple Festival
FREE! September 11–14 Murphysboro welcomes more than 45,000 visitors to its annual fall celebration, one of the largest events in southern Illinois. Highlights include an arts and crafts fair, contests for the best apple pie and apple butter, a carnival, live entertainment, and a grand parade with 100-plus units, including fire engines, floats, and marching bands. A queen pageant follows the festival on September 15. Murphysboro.
Indiana
Swiss Wine Festival
August 22–25 Founded by Swiss immigrants who named their city after a town in Switzerland, Vevay annually celebrates the wine-making heritage of its founders. A pavilion will feature more than 100 varieties of Indiana wine. Take part in a grape stomp and enjoy live music, fireworks, amusement rides, a beer garden, and plenty of food. Adult admission is $10. Vevay.
Annual Muster & Parade
September 28 The Vintage Fire Museum displays a collection of firefighting engines and artifacts dating to 1756, and each year it celebrates that heritage with a vintage fire truck parade, along with a swap meet and a firefighting competition. Festivities conclude at the Ohio River, where the fire trucks will be put to the test: Which one can pump water the farthest out? Adult museum admission is half-price that day, at $3.50. Jeffersonville.
Kansas
Amelia Earhart Festival
July 18–20 The life of legendary aviator Amelia Earhart will be honored in her childhood home of Atchison. Check out the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum, which houses a Lockheed Electra 10-E, the same type of plane she piloted on her final flight. The festival includes an acrobatic air show, concerts, a car show, children’s activities, fireworks, and tours of her birthplace museum. Some activities charge fees. Atchison.
India Fest
FREE! August 11 India is approximately 8,200 miles from Overland Park, but it will seem closer when this event shines a light on Indian culture. Enjoy authentic food, music, dance, and entertainment at the celebration from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. This year’s theme is “One Community, Many Stories: Celebrating Diversity, Building Unity.” Overland Park Convention Center, Overland Park.
Overland Park Fall Festival
FREE! September 27–28 Celebrate the end of summer at this extravaganza downtown featuring 3 stages with live entertainment and many local performers. Shop at an artisan fair and a farmers market, and enjoy hands-on children’s activities. Fill up on food from vendors and food trucks. Overland Park.
Missouri
Kansas City’s Lawn Party
FREE! July 21 Kansas City celebrates National Parks and Recreation Month with this giant outdoor gathering held 4–8 p.m. at Theis Park and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park. Enjoy live music, art activities, and lawn games. Pack a picnic or purchase dinner from a variety of food trucks. Kansas City.
Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
August 8–18 New Orleans shaped the career of playwright Tennessee Williams, but few know he lived in St. Louis for 20 formative years when he went to college and earned his “Tennessee” name for his Southern accent. Enjoy 1-act plays, scholarly panels, a walking tour of the Grand Avenue Theatre District, and performances of Williams’ Pulitzer Prize–winning Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Grandel Theatre. Performance tickets start at $25. St. Louis.
Jesse James Festival
September 13–14, 20–22 This annual event is loaded with action: a parade, golf and fishing tournaments, a carnival, barbecue contests, rodeos, food booths, and even mud volleyball. Despite its name, the festival does not pay tribute to the notorious outlaw but instead recalls the pioneering era when he roamed the region. Admission varies by event. Jesse James Park, Kearney.
FREE! indicates free admission to the event, but additional fees may be required. Be sure to designate a driver if you plan to drink alcohol.
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