With only a few weeks left until Winfield’s biggest party — Good Old Days running from Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 4 to 7 — Chamber of Commerce members are finishing plans for the grand finale parade at 1:15 p.m. Sunday. Participation is free to all members, but registrationare due July 31. A $50 fee will be charged for nonmembers, and all entries are subject to chamber approval. For additional details and to obtain registration forms, call Cindy Keck at (630) 668-0892.

Participants will gather at 11:45 a.m., and the parade will start at Sunnyside Avenue and Forest Street, moving west to Winfield Road, and turning north on Winfield Road, heading to Beecher Street and turning west for a block, before dispersing at Beecher and Park streets.
 
Fathers Day party

Something fishy was going on at the Young at Hearts Father’s Day party last month. What would most fathers like to do if they had the time? Hang up heir hats and go fishing. Coordinator Kathy Skrobutt and husband Len used patterned placemats and fish-shaped bowls on the serving tables and buffet table covered with light and dark blue tablecloths. Everyone was asked to bring a summertime dish to share at noon in Sebahar Hall on the lower level of the new St. John’s Church at Liberty and Church streets. Skrobutt made meatballs with gnocchi, and Carol McPheters donated two salads: tossed and Jell-O. Many members were absent because of health problems or entertaining out-of-town relatives. The Rev. Frank Vitus gave the invocation, and prayers were said for members who are ill. After the meal, members played cards or a favorite game. Nurse Diane McGuire did not take blood pressure readings because she has been visiting at the Mayo Clinic. The ever popular “Christmas in July Bingo” will be played Saturday, July 26. Skrobutt asked members to bring a salad or an appetizer for lunch and a wrapped gift for bingo prizes. Doors  open at 11:30 a.m., with lunch at noon. 

Popcorn, movie

“Batman Begins” will be shown at the Winfield Public Library, 0S291 Winfield Road, at 1 p.m. Monday, July 14. Teens ages 13 to 18 are eligible to attend. Registration is not necessary. For details, call the library at (630) 653-7599. Other library programs include the parent-child group, which will meet at 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, to discuss “Half Magic” by Edward Eager. Next month, at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19, “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” by Kate DiCamillo will be the subject.

Duck races

Once again, the Winfield Park District will host its popular annual duck races. Entrants will compete for $1,500 in prizes. At 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 5, hundreds of yellow rubber ducks will be released into the DuPage River and will race downstream for a variety of prizes donated by local businesses. The first-place winner will receive $150. Other cash prizes may be available depending on duck adoptions. Ducks can be adopted in flocks of five for $20 and individually for $5. To enter, one should stop by the Park District, 0N020 County Farm Road, to fill out a registration form or call (630) 653-3811 to have one mailed out. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Ducks also can be adopted at the information booth during Good Old Days.

Winfield Cruzin

On June 16, the second of eight Cruzin nights of the summer season, the weather was perfect, and there was a good turnout of spectators and classic cars. About 40 vehicles spread out across the street to the west side of Winfield Road. Among the first-time entries that night was a vintage 1965 Sunbeam Tiger, owned by Jim Leonas and Anita Elbe of Elbe Printing — the same style of car that Maxwell Smart drove in the old TV series “Get Smart,” as well as in this summer’s film. The Cruzin nights continue from 6 to 9 p.m. Mondays, July 21 and Aug. 4 and 18.

Cindy Keck of the Good Old Days parade committee attended the event and handed out parade applications to car owners. Cruzin participants are invited to drive their classic cars free of charge in the festival’s afternoon parade Sunday, Sept. 7.