Expanded Duryea Festival this weekend in the Heights

The annual Duryea Festival in Peoria Heights is growing, with two venues planned for this year’s event on Saturday, organizers announced.

With plenty of arts and crafts events planned along with live music and great food, the festival will be held at Tower Park and at Heritage Square, beginning at 11 a.m. Included in the festivities will be an antique 1911 vehicle, on display at Tower Park from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., as well as high-wheeled bicycles.

Also planned from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. will be an arts and crafts vendors show at Tower Park and a sidewalk sale put on by Peoria Heights retailers along Prospect Road, between Glen Avenue and Heritage Square.

From noon to 5 p.m. at Heritage Square children will be able to participate in Fun On The Run activities as well as Wild Style Face Painting and Unique Twist Balloon Artists.

Food and beverages will be available for sale at Tower Park from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Live music is always a highlight of Duryea Festival and this year will be no different. Music will include rock and blues from noon to 10 p.m.

Musicians scheduled to perform will be:  

• Noon-1:30 p.m.: The Flying D’ritos, with classic acoustic rock.
• 2-3:30 p.m.: Dexter O’Neal & the Funkyard will play jazzy R&B and funk.
• 4-5:30 p.m.: Dave Chastain, the Midwest’s King of Rockin’ Rhythm & Blues.
• 6-7:30 p.m.: Robin Crowe Band, the Midwest’s First Lady of Rhythm & Blues.
• 8-10 p.m.: The Smokers Blue Band, billed as the “new Blues contenders in town.”

Pearl Companies is the chief sponsor of this year’s festival, the 11^th annual.

The festival was created to celebrate the history of Peoria Heights. It is named for Charles E. Duryea, a farm boy from Wyoming, Illinois, who invented the High Wheel bicycle and the first gasoline-powered car.

Both the cars and the bicycles were manufactured in the Heights.