A Surprise Guest, Split Pea Soup and Jazz Highlight This Year's Shermerfest

The main attraction at this year's Shermerfest was petite and furry. She wore a red velvet vest, white tunic and Huggies preemies artfully concealed beneath striped red and white shorts.

Mindy, a 4-year-old, white-headed capuchin monkey, was a throwback to the organ grinders and trained monkeys of 19th-century Chicago's open air market on Maxwell Street.

Historical Society board member and Sunset Foods owner Ron Bernardi said he was inspired to bring a monkey to the 32nd annual local history celebration on the Village Green after seeing one at a Vernon Hills parade.

"I got fascinated," he said. "I like to think out of the box."

And Mindy was fascinating for children and adults alike, who crowded in like paparazzi with cameras as her owner, Bill Hoffmann, wheeled her on a cart through the Village Green. The braver ones reached out to pet Mindy's soft fur, and a few let her perch on their shoulder.

While Mindy was mobbed, other regular attractions still got their fair share of visitors. The magician twisting balloon animals had a line of more than a dozen parents and children who stretched out in front of him. Nearby, other children were busy building kazoos out of Popsicle sticks at a row of craft tables sponsored by the YMCA. And inside the History Museum, the bake sale to benefit the historical society was sold out of all but pumpkin pie by 3:30 p.m.

Over at the gazebo, local woodworker and longtime historical society board member Don Hintz was recognized with an award for his dedication to Northbrook and the historical society. The village had proclaimed Sept. 19 "Don Hintz Day" in his honor.

"From screen doors to railings and hundreds of objects in our building, the society has benefited from Don Hintz's woodworking," said the society's president, Judy Hughes, before she presented him with a framed proclamation to be displayed in the Northbrook History Museum.

"All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you," Hintz said. "It's been a privilege and a wonderful life."

Parked across from Hintz was a 1921 Ford Model T owned by Northbrook resident Bud Ried. It's placement was not coincidental, according to classic car show organizer Dan Kaye. Ried parked the Model T across from the pavilion where Hintz received his award because the car was made the same year that Hintz was born.

Along with his wife, Susan, Kaye has organized the show since he hatched the idea 10 years ago as a way of drawing more people to the festival. This year, he said, the festival reached the 100-car mark for the first time.

"It's very low key," Shermerfest chair Sunday Rupley said of the car show. "They like coming here because it's a nice time."

Rupley, who is also a historical society board member, said the classic car show was indeed a big draw for festivalgoers—but so was the soup, particularly the traditional split pea with ham that volunteers cook every year.

Rupley started helping with Shermerfest in 2002 and has chaired the event since 2003. Preparation is a yearlong process, she explained.

Event organizers solicit sponsors all year; schedule face painters, magicians and other performers; and plan food details down to the number of hot dogs Sunset Foods should stock at its yearly food stand.

"It's a lot of fun," said Rupley, then headed off to pick up a hot dog for herself.  

Listening to the sounds of the Jazzmin Trio in the pavilion, Hughes said she shared Rupley's sentiment about the festival.

"I think it's great," Hughes said. "I just love sitting here watching people have a good time." 

Check out our Shermerfest photo gallery here.