3-day music festival returning to rock Camp Shaw

Necessity may be the mother of invention, but with Shoe Fest it also built a long-lasting bond.

Last year, Chicago folk rock band Old Shoe needed a place to hold its second-ever three-day music festival. Camp Shaw-waw-nas-see near Manteno needed extra funds to balance its books and keep youth camp prices down.

So, during the second weekend of September 2012, Shoe Fest was held at Camp Shaw instead of its previous location near DeKalb. More than 1,000 fans and 30 bands descended on the 100-acre property for music and camping.

The fest was so successful that Shoe Fest will not only come back to Camp Shaw this year from Sept. 6-8, but for the next two years after that. Camp Shaw Director Greg LaPlante said the fest and the camp agreed to a three-year contract.

"A lot of good publicity came out of last year's event," LaPlante said.

View the original article here

3-day music festival returning to rock Camp Shaw

Necessity may be the mother of invention, but with Shoe Fest it also built a long-lasting bond.

Last year, Chicago folk rock band Old Shoe needed a place to hold its second-ever three-day music festival. Camp Shaw-waw-nas-see near Manteno needed extra funds to balance its books and keep youth camp prices down.

So, during the second weekend of September 2012, Shoe Fest was held at Camp Shaw instead of its previous location near DeKalb. More than 1,000 fans and 30 bands descended on the 100-acre property for music and camping.

The fest was so successful that Shoe Fest will not only come back to Camp Shaw this year from Sept. 6-8, but for the next two years after that. Camp Shaw Director Greg LaPlante said the fest and the camp agreed to a three-year contract.

"A lot of good publicity came out of last year's event," LaPlante said.

View the original article here

Heard It On The Street: Berkot's returning to Watseka

"For Sale" signs aren't taking root like they have during the past several years ago — a strong indication that the local economy continues to improve.

And while the pace of home sales is still far from the boom years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the market is trending upward again and home buyers are snatching up properties quicker than before.

According to the Kankakee-Iroquois-Ford Association of Realtors, homes sold in July spent far less time on the market than in recent years.

In Kankakee County, for example, homes spent an average of 137 days on the market last month. In July 2012 it was 145 days. The year before that, 154 days.

In Iroquois County, the reduction was even more dramatic. The days on market for July 2011 was 266; July 2012, 181 days; and July 2013, 115 days.

In Will County, days on the market for July 2013 was 109; July 2012, 136 days; July 2011, 163 days.

View the original article here