Montgomery Fest just ducky as big crowds turn out for annual late summer bash

Montgomery Fest may have experienced record attendance, with about 22,000 coming to the village’s annual summertime festival over the weekend, officials said.

The 39th annual fest at Montgomery Park at 301 N. River St. in Montgomery included carnival rides, a parade, food, music, fireworks and more.

A new event this year was a fundraising rubber duck race down the Fox River on Sunday, with proceeds going to the Rotary Club of Montgomery.

“Right now we’ve got 240 ducks in the race,” said Julie Williams, president-elect of the club, before the start of the event.

Those who donated $20 got a duck in the race and were given a small rubber duck to take home. The grand prize was $1,000, with the winning duck being plucked out of the water after it crossed over the finish line in the Fox River on Sunday.

“I am excited to be watching the ducks,” said 16-year-old Evie at the event.

Williams said the event was a winner for the Rotary Club.

“We’ve seen success with other programs and it’s fun for the kids,” Williams said.

Other highlights on Sunday – the last day of the festival – included the community parade in the afternoon featuring dozens of floats, marching bands and more, and fireworks at night to close out the event.

The only unwelcome wrinkle this year came courtesy of Mother Nature, when the fest was closed Friday shortly after it opened due to a severe storm. The band that was scheduled to play, American English, told village officials they would come back and play for the fans in the future with a concert in the park.

The Saturday musical headliner was Sonora Dinamita, a Colombian musical group. Officials said the group drew a big crowd and was one of the reasons the fest may have had a record number of attendees.

Judy Pochel is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.