Enjoying a First Friday Concert with the Sounds of Irish Stew and Sandhill Cranes

You may be hard-pressed to find a better way to end your week and start the new month than with the McHenry County Conservation District’s First Friday Concert series. We are fortunate that McHenry County presents numerous opportunities for live outdoor music. There are so many, in fact, that we created our annual Concerts in the Park Guide.

Each venue and concert series is diverse and unique in its own way. It’s not possible to say that any one of these is the best.

What we might be able to say, though, in this case at least, is that you may be challenged to find a more majestic venue.

Enjoying the sounds of nature in a rural setting, sitting outside, listening to a band play against a backdrop of trees while the sun sets in the distance…that’s an experience you must appreciate in person.

Address: 6705 State Rte 31, Ringwood, IL 60072

Get Lost in Glacial Park

I have a confession. During one of our early outings to explore our new home area, shortly after moving to McHenry County, we had passed by the sign for the Glacial Park Conservation Area and noted that we should check it out sometime. This was 2010, and our outing for the First Friday Concert, 25 years later, to see the band Irish Stew, was our visit to the park.

As an amateur photographer, I have been reminded by the thought over the last few years that I needed to venture up there, but just never “got around to it.” I can say, though, that our first visit just barely scratched that itch.

Perhaps you are like us. You’ve been driving along Hwy 31, out in the country on your way to or from something or somewhere else. In a blink, you caught a glimpse of the sign along the road for the Glacial Park Conservation Area, you glanced over, and took in the large green expanse. Maybe you, too, thought to yourself that you should plan a trip or just stop in sometime. But you never did.

We’re told not to judge a book by its cover, which is often said about so many things beyond books. In this case, perhaps the message is not to judge a park by what you can see on “this side of the hill.” That, however, is an article for a future time, as we have yet to explore beyond our brief time at our First Friday Concert.

Pull Up a Chair

The “First Friday Concert” series is hosted by the McHenry County Conservation District. It is held at the Lost Valley Visitor Center within the Glacial Park. The center, which is also a research field station, was opened to the public in 2010 and serves as a great outpost for the park. The center provides education, exhibits, workshops, and special events like the concert series, and much more.

This concert series is held on, as the name suggests, the first Friday of the month. It started in June and there is one opportunity left this year on September 5. Held in the evening from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, it should provide concert goers from all around the county and beyond, plenty of time to get to the Lost Valley Visitor Center.

It’s also a chance to take in dinner on your way there, or you are invited to pack a picnic dinner and enjoy dining al fresco while enjoying the music. Additionally, volunteers worked throughout the night popping fresh popcorn just to make sure no one went hungry. Their one request is no glass containers.

While there are some picnic tables around the patio area, attendees are encouraged to bring chairs. No fear though if you don’t have any or forget, as they can provide some chairs as well.

There were also plenty of staff and volunteers who not only helped secure chairs for those in need, but helped new arrivals find spaces to set up their chairs. Of course, being outdoors, the concert series is beholden to the weather, and as such, the July concert was canceled due to rain.

Hopefully, next month’s weather will cooperate, and you, too, can experience a First Friday Concert. Who knows, like us, it might open your eyes to a new world of discovery on the other side of the hill. Over 3,400 acres and 5 miles of trails await your discovery.

Looking for more music? Be sure to check out our annual McHenry County Concerts in the Park Guide!

Concerts in the Park Guide