#1 – Avoid Rhubarb Regret! For the best selection of Rhubarb pie, you need to purchase before noon on either day. The pies sell out year after year so, although there are several thousand rhubarb pies sold, there are always many, many more visitors than pies. So, the hunt for the Rhubarb pie is real! Get it early! The pies can be found in the Bake Sale area located in Aledo’s Central Park. Bake Sale vendors line the sidewalks for easy access. The Bake Sales begin at 9am each day and each vendor sells until 4pm or until they have sold out, which can be much earlier than 4pm. We think the hunt for the coveted Rhubarb pie is part of the fun of the Fest so here’s to hoping you snag a Rhubarb pie and, if not, there’s always next year! Good luck Rhubarb Pie hunters!
#2 – Aledo Rhubarb Fest is a DAY TIME Festival. Main Events run from 9am-4pm on Friday, June 7th and Saturday, June 8th. Don’t show up at 3:45pm looking for lots of activities. Main events begin wrapping up each day around 4pm.
#3-Where to Park? We’re a small town with few parking lots, so plan on parking on side streets. Wear a good pair of walking shoes as you may have to walk for several blocks to get to the downtown Fest area. Watch for our complimentary golf cart shuttles that run through the Fest area. The Golf Cart drivers are happy to take you to and from your vehicle. There is a limited amount of handicapped parking available on the 100 block of South College Avenue. On Saturday only, there will be a free shuttle bus that will run from First Baptist Church 800 NE 6th Ave., Aledo to the heart of the Fest. The shuttle will keep making a loop all day Saturday from 9am-4pm.
#4 – Live Music – Rhubarb Fest has great LIVE music both days on the Central Park Band Shell stage. If you want to sit and enjoy the music all day, bring your own lawn chair or blanket as there is not much provided seating.
#5 Free Admission! & What About My Dog? – Some great things in life are still free and admission to Rhubarb Fest is one of them! The Fest is funded in part from our souvenir booth so when you buy a Rhubarb Fest T-shirt, ball cap or cookbook it helps us keep Rhubarb Fest free and you end up with a great souvenir. The Rhubarb Fest Souvenir booth will be in the green space behind the Bandshell stage. Look for the HOT PINK booth and friendly volunteers! About your pup, we get lots of questions about bringing dogs to Rhubarb Fest. Only service dogs are allowed in the Fest area. We love dogs too, but the Fest area sidewalks are somewhat narrow and very crowded. Lots of children, adults, strollers, wheelchairs etc. so for the safety of your pup and our visitors we ask that you not bring your dog to the Aledo Rhubarb Fest.
#6 Shopping & Dining – Please visit our local businesses while in Aledo. Many of them have worked hard to create Rhubarb treats, menus and special events during the Rhubarb Fest so make sure to stop in and see all that the Aledo business community has to offer. There is a great deal of historic renovation going on in our downtown so stroll up a block or 2 north of the park and check out the progress! As far as food goes, in addition to our great variety of Fest Food vendors found in the Central Park area, Aledo has a wide range of restaurant choices. On Friday & Saturday you can grab a bite to eat from the Food Trucks/Vendors in the Central Park Parking lot and local non profits will be dishing up delicious meals and pie under the Central Park Pavilion. The Aledo United Methodist Church, located just a couple of blocks north of the Fest at 301 N. College Ave., will be serving a hot lunch outdoors this year from 11am-1:30pm Friday & Saturday. The wildly popular and wonderfully delicious Fireman’s Pancake Breakfast (with Rhubarb Topping) will happen on Saturday only from 6am-10am at the Aledo Fire Station 211 SE 3rd St. The long standing Masonic Lodge Fish & Chicken Fry will be held on Saturday, June 8th from 11am-2pm also at the Aledo Fire Station. If you want other options, we encourage you to venture into the town of Aledo for choices ranging from Mexican to Chinese cuisine, or maybe pizza, a juicy hamburger or ice cream will hit the spot, simply Google Restaurants in Aledo, IL. You find lots of choices. Whatever your taste buds desire, it’s all here in Aledo and our local restaurants will be happy to see and serve our festival guests. Visit aledorhubarbfest.com for details.
#7 Crafts/Antiques/Flea Market – The Aledo Main Street Central Park Market is Friday & Saturday from 9am-4pm and offers a nice variety of Antiques, Flea Market and some craft vendors in the Central Park Parking lot and on the street called College Ave. On Saturday ONLY, we have a LARGE craft show on the lawn of the Mercer County Courthouse known as Crafts in the Courtyard which showcases around 80 quality craft vendors.
#8 Rhubarb Tasting Tent – If you want to sample Rhubarb, look for large white Tasting Tent in Central Park. The Tasting Tent is open from 10am-1pm both days. It is free to go through, but donations to the Fest are appreciated.
#9 Weather? Hopefully the weather will cooperate, but we wanted to let you know that Rhubarb Fest is always a rain or shine event so if it’s raining, please know that the Fest continues. In the event of a shower, bring your umbrella or your rain coat and join in on the fun! Remember rain makes the rhubarb grow!
#10-Which day should I visit? There are a ton of activities jam packed into this 2 day fest. Rhubarb Fest is a great family friendly fest with lots of fun activities both days. We recommend you visit our website aledorhubarbfest.com for a detailed schedule of events so you can pick what day suits you best.
We look forward to seeing you at Aledo’s Rhubarb Fest, June 7th & 8th, 2024!
***Courtesy of the Aledo Rhubarb Fest***
