The special day when all of Lake Zurich would close down so residents could attend a big celebration at Opatrny's picnic grounds in Fox River Grove was called Lake Zurich Day.
All of the village's stores, schools and factories closed their doors while residents played games and enjoyed entertainment at Opatrny's. One year, according to Ela Historical Society documents, Lake Zurich Day gave away the following to those who attended: 1,500 free rides; 2,000 free ice cream cups; and 2,000 free bottles of soda.
On that same day, people also won more than $1,000 in prizes during contests and games. Lake Zurich Day was quite an annual celebration until it ended in 1956.
Find out what's happening in Lake Zurichwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here
