Enjoy the great outdoors all along the Riverwalk. Consider a brisk walk or a slow stroll, picnicking, fishing or a paddleboat excursion. Rentals for paddleboats, paddleboards and kayaks are available at the Jaycees Marina in the Riverwalk Quarry, complete with duck flyovers for kids!
Protect and enjoy river wildlife. Let wildlife be wild. Let ducks, geese and other waterfowl find food naturally.
Discover Dine Naperville and enjoy one of the city’s many eateries!
Click here for new post designated for 2021 Labor Day Weekend…
North Central College Arts Calendar Soon! North Central College students have arrived for classes that began Aug. 25!
Aug. 25 / District 204 Boundary Committee Meeting / The School District 204 boundary committee will meet at 6:30PM Wed., Aug. 25, at Still Middle School, located at 787 Meadowridge Drive, Aurora. The committee will continue evaluating various boundary adjustment scenarios. A series of community forums will be held in November to obtain feedback on boundary proposals that are yet to be created. The boundary committee meetings are open to the public for observation. To learn more about the boundary process and to review materials or watch the video from each meeting, visit 2021 Boundary Committee. It’s over & ongoing! Stay tuned for more…
Aug. 26 / Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners meetings are generally held on the second Thursday of each month at 7PM and the fourth Thursday of the month at 6:30PM at the Fort Hill Activity Center Multi-Purpose Room, 20 Fort Hill Drive. (Thanks for paying attention to governing/taxing bodies.) Click here to the NPD YouTube to watch the Aug. 26, 2021, meeting. (Note: Exchange Club of Naperville Ribfest 2022 Chair presented a proposal for a two-day Ribfest at Frontier Park to the NPD Board of Commissioners. The proposal was declined after thorough evaluation regarding impact to summer programming.) It’s Over! Watch & Learn.
School District 203 and School District 204 continue classes for 2021-2022 school year. Watch out for children. Drive carefully. It’s ON!
Aug. 30 / On Aug. 26, 2021, the City of Naperville issued news of state-wide mandate requiring masks in all indoor spaces effective Mon., Aug. 30, to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The mandate applies to anyone over the age of 2 who can medically tolerate a face covering, regardless of vaccination status, and comes in response to the rapidly spreading Delta variant, which is increasing hospitalizations among younger people and the unvaccinated throughout the state. News of the mask mandate was accompanied by the announcement of a vaccination requirement for all healthcare workers, pre-k-12 teachers and staff, and higher education personnel and students. More information about these new directives can be found on the State’s website. It’s ON!
Aug. 31 / NEST, City Staff & City Council Workshop / At 6PM Tues., Aug 31, in the City Council Chambers, 400 S. Eagle Street, Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force (NEST) and City staff will seek approval to begin the implementation process for the ambitious, detailed plan called “Sustainable Naperville 2036.” NEST will be providing information, answering questions and solicited input from City Council members. Members of the public also will be able to comment and ask questions. For more information, visit www.sustainnaperville.org/2036. It’s ON! Pay attention!
September 2021 thru Labor Day
Sept. 1 / Planning and Zoning Commission (aka PZC), 7PM Wed., Sept 1. Click here for Agenda.
Sept. 1-6 / Parking Lot Closures / Beginning at 5AM Wed., Sept. 1, the Jaycees’ Last Fling will require the closing of parking lots and streets at and near the Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center (at 305 W. Jackson Ave.) and the Park District Administration Building (320 W. Jackson Ave.) remain closed through Mon., Sept. 6.
Sept. 1-6 / City Traffic Control Plan for Labor Day Weekend / The City of Naperville has posted a traffic control plan with more details about street closures at this link: https://www.naperville.il.us/globalassets/media/event-maps-and-tcps/last-fling/2021-last-fling-traffic-control-plan.pdf.
Sept. 1 / Take time to rediscover Downtown Naperville! Consider ten ideas and more to follow soon!
- Stop by Sephora, MAC, Ulta or Benefit for refreshed cosmetics for the season.
- Treat yourself to a luxurious spa treatment or 2
- Update your ‘do with a new cut, style, color or even a blowout for the weekend
- Grab a pal and set up some breakfast, lunch, tea, wine or dinner dates
- Sign up for a fitness – yoga, pilates or spin class
- Trigger your creative side – sign up for a Pinot’s Palette painting class, pottery, stationery making or cooking
- Grab a great new book to curl up with.
- New clothes for the season? SO many incredible options around every corner
- Improve your tech skills – sign up for free classes at the Apple store
- Spruce up your home with new accents, lovelies, paint colors…
Sept. 4, 5 & 6 – Weekends at Centennial Beach / Centennial Beach summer “back-to-school” weekday and weekend hours through Labor Day are posted here. Located at 300 W. Jackson Street in downtown Naperville, Centennial Beach features a sandy beach, zero depth entry, water features and a slide at the shallow end and piers, diving boards and deep water swimming at the deep end. It’s ON through Labor Day!
Discover Dine Naperville. Whet your appetite at a local eatery!
Loaves & Fishes Night to End Hunger (Sold out for 2021.)
2021 Labor Day Weekend
Until September 21, it’s still summer! Summer Sidewalk Sales continue in the cool inside Downtown Naperville / Experience a new twist in the mix of shopping and dining along Jefferson Avenue between Main and Washington streets. Celebrating 62 years, Dean’s Fine Clothing offers its popular sales racks every day to make room for new arrivals for fall and winter. (Watch for special sales at every shop as summer sale days continue to make way for fall and winter merchandise!)
Sept. 3 / It’s another R.E.D. Shirt Friday at Quigley’s Irish Pub! Remember Everyone Deployed with a cold beverage from 5-7PM, every Friday. (And look for the R.E.D. Shirt Booth hosted by the Legion Riders during Last Fling, Sept. 3-6. Funds raised from shirt sales will benefit the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument in Veterans Park. The groundbreaking ceremony is set for 2PM Sun., Sept. 26. Everybody’s welcome!) Quigley’s Irish Pub is located at 43 E. Jefferson Ave. in downtown Naperville. It’s ON here & there! (One more thing…WSI Quiz Night returns to Quigley’s at 7PM Tues., Sept. 7. Wear RED shirts and think green.)
Sept. 3-6 / Last Fling, Naperville Jaycees (Celebrating 56 Years in 2021, Sept. 3-6, 2021) It’s ON! Carnival on Jackson Avenue all Labor Day Weekend.
Sept 4-6 / Family Fun Zone at Riverwalk Amphitheater / A visit and photos with a real-life Princess, cotton candy /cupcake /spaghetti eating contests, a reptile and amphibian experience, a special needs water balloon toss and freeze dance, Irish dancing, stilt walking, a bake-off competition, juggling, balloon animal making and much more.
Sept. 5 / Special Needs Day at the Carnival is from 10AM to 12PM Sun., Sept. 5. Patrons with special needs will get exclusive, priority, no-wait seating with a special wristband. All participants must have a chaperone and wristbands are for special needs guests only. Please stop by the carnival ticket booth to pick up a wristband starting at 9:30AM.
To see a full list of the Family Attractions at the 2021 Naperville Last Fling, visit
www.LastFling.org/FamilyAttractions or for complete details, visit www.LastFling.org/Carnival.
Sept. 4 / OMT 2 PM Sat., Sept 4, at the 2021 Naperville Last Fling! For info about One More Time and the upcoming concert schedule of these hometown musicians, visit www.onemtime.com. Last Fling Concert is free on stage at 100 W. Jackson Ave. It’s ON!
Sept. 4-5 / Ashley Whippet K-9 Frisbie World Championships / Labor Day Weekend at Nike Park / (9:30AM to 4:30PM Sept. 4-5, 2021.) It’s ON!
Sept. 6 / Naperville Jaycees Labor Day Parade (10AM Mon., Sept. 6, 2021) Join The City of Naperville and the Naperville Jaycees in celebration of “Our Frontline Workers” with Edward Hospital Frontline Workers as the Grand Marshal of the 2021 Labor Day Parade. Experience the spectacular display of community spirit with marching bands from NNHS to NCHS. It’s ON!
Sept. 6 / Let there be music & jingling coins in buckets! Naperville loves a parade, its music and its timely bucket shakers for charity! The Frank E. Fling mascot thanks all marching bands from local middle and high schools to the Naperville Municipal Band for mustering up the rousing music that prompts cheers from spectators throughout the parade season! It’s ON!
Sept. 6 / Riverwalk Rededication with group sing! “Happy 40th Birthday, dear Riverwalk!” 2PM sharp, Mon., Sept. 6. Gather with friends of the Riverwalk for a brief moment of cheers to celebrate the first 40 years of this city’s natural treasure. Look for the event to take place east of the Civic Plaza Covered Bridge and Dandelion Fountain at Webster Street and west of the Main Street Parking Lot. It’s ON!
Sept. 6 / I scream for ice cream and happy 40th birthday to the Riverwalk! On Labor Day, stop by Pinot’s Palette Booth from 2-4PM along Jackson Avenue during Last Fling for gift certificates for Ice Cream and/or Cake from participating downtown merchants including Kilwin’s, Naper Nuts & Sweets, Molly’s Cupcakes and Cookie Dough Creations. The DNA Gift Certificates, while supply lasts, (One certificate per person present upon request / Individual members of the same family will be given certificates to the same merchant.) are good Labor Day through Wed., Sept. 8. Thanks, Pinot’s Palette and DNA! (Note, Pinot’s Palette will host its booth during the 4-day Last Fling.) It’s ON!
Labor Day 2021-Labor Day 2031 / Looking toward 2031 & Naperville’s Bicentennial & the 50th Anniversary of the Naperville Riverwalk / Riverwalk Master Plan
Check back later. Other Naperville events may be added. And some events indicated currently as “It’s ON!” may be changed or canceled. Thanks for reading!
A few more notes about Naperville Municipal Band…
September Performances / Thanks to the large audiences that filled Central Park with enthusiastic applause and appreciation during the 11-week Naperville Municipal Band summer concert series, sponsored by the City’s SECA Fund. Thanks to all for the wonderful memories created on stage and throughout the park with friends, family and neighbors.
Up next, the Naperville Municipal Band will march in the Labor Day Parade when it steps off at 10AM Mon., Sept. 6. It’s ON!
Then the City’s band will perform at 8:15AM Sat., Sept.11, prior to the Naperville Sept. 11 Observance at the Cmdr. Dan Shanower Sept. 11 Memorial along the Riverwalk. The Naperville Municipal Band will play at the Riverwalk Amphitheater across the DuPage River from the Memorial. The City’s observance will begin at 8:46AM. The public is welcome. It’s ON!
The Naperville Municipal Band also will bring upbeat joyful rhythm from South of the Border during an evening performance at the inaugural Naperville Hispanic Heritage Fest on Sat., Sept. 18, in Central Park. Join all the festivities to celebrate Mexican Independence Day from 11AM to 9PM presented by the Sister Cities Foundation. The public is welcome. Admission is free of charge. For more info, visit www.napervillehispanicfest.com. It’s ON!
Editor’s Note / This post will be updated through Labor Day!
