This year’s festival
Batavia’s “biggest event of the summer” is even bigger in 2009. With Friday now added, this year’s Windmill City Festival is expected to draw about 13,000 attendees to the city. Britta McKenna, executive director at Batavia MainStreet, said this kind of event is important for businesses downtown. “It brings people into our community other than just Batavians,” McKenna said. “It’s just a nice, rounded event.”

Unique games and events
Ever wanted to be on “The Price is Right?” The Windmill City Festival offers a great alternative, as Plinko, a popular game from the show, will be set up on July 10 and July 11 at the festival. Children are also able to get into the action and race in the “’Lil’ 500 Big Wheel Races,” which will be divided up into three divisions: 2-year-olds, 3- and 4-year olds, and 5- and 6-year-olds. There will also be a bags tournament, a pet parade, a “Freaky Friday” beach party at Hall Quarry Beach and an ice cream eating contest. The pet parade, a children’s event favorite, takes place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, with awards including Best Trick, Fastest Wagging Tail and Best Costume.

Bringing back the SpaceNet
One of the most popular events at the Windmill City Festival, the Batavia Pin Drop, which drops numbered golf balls through a bucket to see which one will get closest to a pin for prizes, will take place at 8 p.m. July 11. The event will cost $10 per raffle ticket or $25 for three, and a portion of the proceeds will go toward the Batavia Parks Foundation. Parks Foundation member Gary Foiles said the money received from this event will go toward installation of the SpaceNet, a 3-D structure that was popular in the area before it was removed due to vandalism. “We’re certainly hopeful that it will cover the (installation costs),” Foiles said. “We have enough funds to buy the equipment. In fact, it’s already arrived in Batavia. The funds are going to go toward the installation costs.”

5k Run
As part of the Windmill City Festival, the Windmill Whirl 5K run will kick off at 7 p.m. Friday, July 10, in front of the City Hall on Island Avenue. Gail Zwaska, recreation supervisor with the Batavia Park District, is organizing the race this year and is expecting about 200 people. Zwaska describes the course as “a runner’s dream” because of the Fox River Trail. “It’s just an easy race for all ages,” Zwaska said. “We’re hoping it will cool down a little bit, but we have plenty of serious runners in the area. We know that we’ll have a good turnout as we do ever year.” Registration forms for the race are available at www.bataviaparks.org.

If you go
WHAT The 2009 Batavia Windmill City Festival
WHERE The Batavia Riverwalk, Houston Street at Island Avenue
WHEN July 10 through July 12, starting at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday and 4 p.m. Friday.
COST Free
MUSIC Starting at 6 p.m. July 10. Bands include the Michael Heaton Band, Lazy Maybes and Dot Dot Dot.