Above / Located at 500 W. Jackson Avenue, Centennial Beach is open most days, weather permitting, from now through Labor Day.
June is busting out all over and we aim to spotlight many special activities during the month named for the Roman goddess Juno, patron of marriage and women. Events and celebrations provide opportunities for friends, family and communities to prepare for summer’s arrival on June 21.
Meanwhile, be mindful of Immigrant Heritage Month, Flag Day, Pride Month, YMCA Founders Day, Juneteenth and Father’s Day as well as other events that might be featured on PN’s Event Calendar. Event planners are welcome to add events and post images there, too. Thanks for your input!
June through 2022 Labor Day Weekend / Naperville Noon Lions Annual Summer Raffle is now in progress. Purchase raffle tickets now, throughout the summer, and in time for the drawing on Tues., Sept. 6. In case you missed it, click here for PN story about the Naperville Noon Lions Annual Summer Raffle with four opportunities to win cash prizes and what the fundraiser benefits. Thanks. (Note also that the Noon Lions Club will host the Naperville Municipal Band Concert Bake Sale on July 21!)
Now! / Exchange Club of Naperville seeks volunteers for 2022 Ribfest, June 17-20 / The Exchange Club of Naperville is looking for help in bringing back Ribfest to its new location at the DuPage Event Center and Fairgrounds in Wheaton. The event is scheduled from Fri., June 17, through Mon., June 20, 2022, aka Father’s Day Weekend. To sign up to volunteer, visit www.ribfest.net/contact/volunteer. Thanks.
Now! / Volunteer for the 2nd Annual Salute, July 1 thru July 4, at Rotary Hill. The Salute – a family-friendly Independence Day Hometown Celebration – will be held July 1-4, 2022, featuring local bands, kids’ activities, family fun and food. For information about the event with many volunteer opportunities for friends, family and neighbors, visit www.napervillesalute.org. Thanks.
Summertime is the season for Naper Settlement & Centennial Beach
Naper Settlement, with its entrance at Webster and Aurora, is a nationally accredited, award-winning outdoor living history museum set on 13 magnificent acres in the heart of Naperville. Located 30 miles from Chicago, the museum is home to 31 historical structures dating back as early as the 1830s. Featuring exhibits, special events, educational programming and more, Naper Settlement is where history comes alive and the community comes to connect.
For more information, visit www.napersettlement.org or call (630) 420-6010. ***Other Naper Settlement events are in this listing.
June 7, 2022 / WSI Quiz Night at Quigley’s is 7PM Tues., June 7. Teams of up to 8 are welcome to test their collective knowledge of more or less useless information. Trivia play is free of charge. And there’s even a silly sweet prize for the team that comes with the best team name. Kindly remember to BYO pen or pencil to fill out the quiz. Quigley’s Irish Pub is located at 43 E. Jefferson Ave. (Also, come with your own questions about the 2022 Naperville Irish Fest slated for Aug. 5 & 6 at Frontier Park! For more info, visit www.wsirish.org.)
WSI Quiz Night returns in September / Quigley’s open daily… Note that after this week’s Quiz Night, the popular competition will take a pause in July for Independence Day and in August for Irish Fest. Stay tuned for the fun to return on the second Tuesday in September. That’s 7PM Tues., Sept. 13. One more thing… Congrats to Team EDAQ, 2022 Quiz Night Champs.
June 8, 2022 thru mid-September / Downtown Naperville Streetscape is taking shape. And soon painted sculptures shaped like small pickup trucks will be Cruisin’ into Summer to help showcase wit and artistic talent from one street corner to the next. Shops, banks, restaurants and treat shops are open, so plan to visit to check out all the changes soon.
June 9, 2022 thru August 11, 2022 / Naperville Municipal Band Thursday Summer Concert Series begins at 7:30PM Thurs., June 9, on stage at the Community Concert Center in Central Park. Pack a picnic or pick up dinner to go from a downtown eatery, then plan to enjoy treats at the Bake Sale to benefit Lizzy’s Fund at the Gazebo.
Note! Bake Sale hosts for the 2022 Summer Concert Season, 7:30PM Thursdays…
June 9 – Lizzy’s Fund
June 16 – AAUW Naperville Area
June 23 – Congregation Beth Shalom
June 30 – League of Women Voters
July 7 – Illinois Independent Living Center – Katharine Manor
July 14 – IL National Organization for Women
July 21 – Naperville Noon Lions Club
July 28 – Safe Haven Dog Rescue
August 4 – Naperville Newcomers and Neighbors Club
August 11 – Naperville Preservation, Inc.
Central Park is located between East Jefferson and East Benton in downtown Naperville. NMB Summer Concerts are slated for every Thursday evening through Aug. 11. FREE.
June 12, 2022 / Hometown Picnic at Naper Settlement, 1-4PM Sun., June 12 Included in general admission. Hometown Picnic features summertime traditions including games, contests and races, a vintage baseball game, and an apple pie baking competition. Visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets, and a picnic to enjoy the fast-paced action of bare-knuckle baseball, based on the original rules from 1858, when the Lemont Quarrymen take on the McLean County Prairie Chickens at 1:30PM. Calling all apple pie bakers! Bakers are needed for the apple pie baking competition that features bakers from throughout the area. To enter the apple pie baking competition, contact Jackie Maronic at (630) 420-6015 or email maronicj@naperville.il.us.
Moving right along because it’s June, June, June!
June 17 & 18, 2022 / Naper Nights Community Concert Series at Naper Settlement, 5-10PM, Friday, June 17 & Saturday, June 18, $20/adult (13+), $15/youth (4-12) | Tickets
Get ready for cold drinks, great food, and fabulous music! Naper Nights celebrates historic milestones in rock music and pop culture with themed tribute concerts throughout the summer. The concert series kicks off on June 17 with a Prince tribute by Gabriel Sanchez Presents: The Prince Experience and a tribute to soul music by Chicago Soul Revue. June 18 will include a tribute to Bob Marley & The Wailers by One Drop Redemption and a mix of Motown & R&B music by Soul 2 the Bone. Visit NaperNights.org for more information and tickets.
June 18, 2022 / Classic Car Show in Downtown Naperville. Once again, vintage and antique autos, trucks, tractors and other classic vehicles will return for their annual exhibit Saturday morning along Jackson Avenue between Eagle and Main Street. Experience a showcase of cars from yesteryear while discovering plenty that’s new throughout downtown Naperville.
June 18, 2022 / Inaugural Juneteeth Celebration at Rotary Hill. The Juneteenth “Freedom Day” celebration will be held from 1 to 4PM Sat., June 18, at Rotary Hill along the Naperville Riverwalk. Public is welcome. Admission is free of charge.
June 19, 2022 / Looking ahead to Father’s Day… Celebrate Dad locally!
Father’s Day is Sun., June 19, 2022. Naperville offers restaurants, treat shops and bakeries to whet every appetite. For more information, visit www.dinenaperville.com. Thanks for supporting local enterprise.
June 20-23 / Western Junior Golf Championship / Naperville Country Club, now in its 101st year, is preparing to host the prestigious 4-day Western Junior Golf Championship. The Western Junior, the oldest national junior golf championship in the United States, will be in Naperville June 20-23, 2022. Fore! Spectator Information / thewesternjunior.com/schedule-of-events.
June 23, 2022 / Downtown Naperville Architecture Walking Tour, 5:30 to 6:30PM
Thurs., June 23, $15/person | Register.
Learn about the important and interesting architecture from the 1800s to today that makes downtown Naperville a beautiful place to live, work, and play. The tour lasts approximately 60 minutes and covers about two miles. Pre-registration is required.
June 23, 2022 / Naperville Municipal Band Thursday Summer Concert Series begins at 7:30PM Thurs., June 23, on stage at the Community Concert Center in Central Park. FREE. Pack a picnic or pick up dinner to go from a downtown eatery, then plan to enjoy treats at the Bake Sale at the Gazebo.
June 26, 2022 / Concerts in Your Park is a Sunday evening summer music series for families and neighbors; each concert is held at a different neighborhood park. Join friends and neighbors, bring your lawn chairs and blankets to experience a FREE evening of outdoor musical entertainment from 7-8:30PM featuring Good Clean Fun at Walnut Ridge Park, 2304 Keim Road.
June 28, 2022 / Primary Election Day. Polls will be open 6AM to 7PM.
June 30, 2022 / Town and Gown Walking Tour, 5:30-6:30 PM, Thurs., June 30, $15/person | Register. Explore the east side of downtown Naperville and learn about the ways the community developed along with North Central College. The tour lasts approximately 60 minutes and covers about two miles. Pre-registration is required.
June 30, 2022 / Annual Patriotic Concert to commemorate Independence Day. Blast the cannons! Naperville Municipal Band Thursday Summer Concert Series begins at 7:30PM Thurs., June 30, on stage at the Community Concert Center in Central Park. FREE. Pack a picnic or pick up dinner to go from a downtown eatery, then plan to enjoy treats at the Bake Sale at the Gazebo, hosted by Naperville League of Women Voters.
Events may be added to this post as the month progresses.
One more thought: Since June offers the most hours of daylight of any month of the year, enjoy evening walks. Go fishing. Do something different. Turn porch lights on at dusk.
