Dandelion Wine festival kicks off summer fun

• Reprints

Six-year-old, Miah Delgado of Waukegan plays in a drum circle at Bowen Park during Saturday's Dandelion Wine Fine Arts Festival. | Brian O'Mahoney~for Sun-Times Media

Article Extras

Artisans at work, vendor booths and live music combined for a jumpstart to summer at Waukegan’s Dandelion Wine Fine Arts Festival in Bowen Park Saturday.

The free festival featured a dozen vendors including artists making jewelry, musicians, clothing makers and photographers. Christ Episcopal Church in Waukegan offered homemade pies, cookies and coffee. Other vendors sold hot dogs and ribs.

“It’s about summer starting. It’s all about the book (“Dandelion Wine” by Waukegan native Ray Bradbury) and is a kickoff to summer,” said Claudia Freeman, superintendent of cultural arts for the Waukegan Park District.

Entertainment included dancers from Mexico, A West African dancer, a drum circle featuring two drummers from New Guinea, and plenty of live music.

Katherine Hughes of Waukegan was busy spinning wool into yarn. “The kids love this, and they always want to touch the different types of wool,” she said. “This is from my ragdoll cat,” said Hughes displaying a soft gray fur. “You can spin just about any animal or plant fiber you’d like,” she said.

Barbara Jaeger of Beach Park bought two handmade wooden boxes. “The artist did a good job, and they’re a good price,” said Jaeger. “Best of all, I’m so happy they’re made in the U.S.A.”

Other customers were busy looking over one-of-a-kind clothing and historic reproduction pieces made by Faith Agostinone and Emily Runyan from their online store Stitching Bevy.

Inside the Jack Benny Center nearby, oil and watercolor paintings hung on display, including those of the late Jim Harrington. Freeman credits Harrington who had a downtown Waukegan studio, as the brainchild behind the festival. She said he was ever willing to enlighten others about his craft.

“He wanted to have something to give back to the community. We wanted to carry on his dream,” said Freeman. “Otherwise this event might have been something completely different.”

Sue Harrington-White of Waukegan offered some of her late husband’s prints for sale. There is a story connected to the paintings and Sue was quick to explain them all. “He adopted Waukegan as his hometown, and he really loved it here,” she said.

The late artist’s daughter Toni Harrington of Pleasant Prairie, Wis., said her father was a lot fun. “He was like a big kid himself,” she said, recalling how he would help make displays for community plays. “I love what my father did.”

Framed watercolors from another local artist, the late Arthur J. Czajkowski, were also on display. His son Roy Czajkowski of Waukegan explained his father came to North Chicago where he worked at a wire mill before joining the U.S. Navy. He was a design engineer and industrial illustrator.

Czajkowski was an accomplished sculptor, wood carver and photographer besides working in oil paints and watercolors. After seeing a need for a regional artists publication, he founded the magazine “Lake County and It’s Arts” in the 1980s which has served as a forum for artists and art suppliers, said Roy.

As people popped in and out of the Jack Benny Center, some stopped to play games on the lawn. Jerry Sullivan, an active participant in the event and drum circle coordinator, invited his family from Milwaukee to join him this day. His mom Nancy and dad Jerry enjoyed a game of bocce ball. “My mom was my inspiration,” said Sullivan who has a background as a writer. “She played bongo drums as a teenager,” he said.

While people headed to hear the drummers, North Carolina visitor Marty Julian was left a little dry. Despite the name of the event, there was no dandelion wine to be found.

“I would just like to have a little taste,” she said. “I read his book (Dandelion Wine) while I was in high school,” said Julian who was here to celebrate her granddaughter’s graduation. “When my daughter (Rhonda Gorn of Waukegan) told me we were going to go to this, I was so excited,” she added. “But where is the dandelion wine?”

Though no wine was served, a brochure handed out to guests did include a recipe for “Grandfather’s Dandelion Wine.”

The event name is taken from Ray Bradbury’s acclaimed novel about Green Town — Waukegan. Although “Waukegan’s Son” was unable to attend the event, Bradbury was named honorary chairman for the festival.