Parades & Races

Being a resort community, Fox Lake has hosted a large variety of events through its first 100 years. There have been parades and races for sailboats, powerboats, cardboard boats, swimmers, runners, snowmobiles and horses.

Boat Races
Sail and power boat races were first conducted on Fox Lake in the early 1900s. While the sailboats continue to race at the Pistakee Yacht Club, the powerboat races reached a peak as a popular spectator sport in the Fox Lake area during the 1950s through the 1960s. Frequent high-powered races were conducted at the Waltonian, the Mineola, and a few of the other resorts.

Fireworks
On July 4, 1956 there was a tragic accident during a fireworks display at the American Legion. The large crowd overflowed onto the railroad tracks. Shortly after the start of the noisy display, a fast moving train plowed into the crowd on the tracks, killing three and injuring a score of others.

50 Year Celebration
In 1957 the Village celebrated its 50 Year Golden Jubilee in grand fashion. Men grew beards, while ladies wore bonnets and period clothing. A temporary outdoor jail cell was installed downtown and a kangaroo court was conducted for violators of the celebration code. A judge levied fines which were donated to charity. The Jubilee Parade was incredibly large, colorful and fun — witnessed by an estimated 25,000 people. Overall, the residents pulled together to make it the most successful of all Village events.

75 Year Celebration
In 1982 the Village celebrated its 75th Diamond Jubilee, which once again was a major event, comprised of many activities throughout the summer months. There was a huge parade viewed by an estimated 28,000 people. Other activities included a spectacular drum and bugle corps competition, car rallies, canoe, sail and inner tube races, antique boat shows and more.

100 Year Celebration
For the 100th celebration, the Centennial Committee has been working on the plans for over two years. It includes Centennial-specific new events, as well as annual events which will have a Centennial twist to them.

The following is an initial list of the Centennial events. Since the plans were still being finalized as of the writing of this book, the listed event dates may be subject to change. The Centennial Committee will be posting the final information at the appropriate time.