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🎉 The Naperville FunTimes
YOUR WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY GUIDE
Issue #20  ·  Friday, July 24, 2026
Happy Friday, Naperville families! 🎡
The DuPage County Fair rolls into its final weekend in Wheaton with carnival rides, animals, and cotton candy, downtown Naperville has gone full puppy-parade with 24 hand-painted dog sculptures to hunt down, and Sunday brings a free live band to Tall Grass Park. Pack sunscreen, bring quarters for the midway, and get ready to log some serious steps.
Whether your crew is more Ferris-wheel or lawn-chair-and-lemonade, this weekend has a lane for you. 🎠
🎡 Fair & Fun Weekend Edition
 
🗓️ This Week's Top 3 Family Picks
🎡 Pick #1   ⚡ ENDS SUNDAY
The DuPage County Fair — Rides, Animals & Cotton Candy Before It Wraps Up! 🎡
📍 DuPage Event Center & Fairgrounds, Wheaton   💰 $8–$12 (Kids 5 & Under FREE)
👦 All Ages   🕐 Fri 11am–11pm • Sat Noon–11pm • Sun Noon–8pm
Now in its 72nd year, the DuPage County Fair takes over the fairgrounds in Wheaton through Sunday with a full midway of carnival rides, livestock and animal exhibits, live entertainment, and enough fair food to make the drive worth it on its own. Little ones 5 and under get in free, and there's a free hands-on glassblowing workshop where kids 10+ can make their own glass keepsake (spots go fast, so reserve ahead). Enter through the County Farm Road main entrance, and note that gates are cashless.
🎡 Fair Details & Tickets →
   
⭐ Why We Love It
This is old-school county fair fun — the kind with a Ferris wheel silhouette against the sunset that kids remember for years. It's the last weekend, so this is genuinely your only shot before it packs up until next July.
🐾 Pick #2
Dog Days of Summer — Hunt Down 24 Painted Pup Sculptures Downtown! 🐾
📍 Downtown Naperville — Main St, Water St, Jefferson Ave & Riverwalk   💚 FREE
👦 All Ages (Stroller-Friendly)   🕐 On Display Through Labor Day
Downtown Naperville has been unleashed — literally. Twenty-four hand-painted dog sculptures (plus one very sneaky cat, "Frida Katlo") are scattered along Main Street, Water Street, Jefferson Avenue, and the Riverwalk, each one sponsored by a local business and painted by a local artist. Grab the dog map, turn it into a scavenger hunt, and let the kids vote for their favorite — winners get announced Labor Day weekend. It pairs perfectly with an ice cream stop and a lap around the Riverwalk.
🐾 View the Dog Map →
   
⭐ Why We Love It
It turns a plain walk into a game — no tickets, no time slot, no pressure. Squeeze it in before the fair, after the fair, or any random Tuesday between now and September. Kids get a say in who wins, which feels like a big deal to a 6-year-old.

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🎸 Pick #3   ⚡ SUNDAY ONLY
Concerts in Your Park — Free Live Music Night at Tall Grass Park! 🎶
📍 Tall Grass Park, 3512 Grassmere Rd, Naperville   💚 FREE
👨‍👩‍👧 All Ages   🕐 Sun, July 26 · 7–8:30 PM
The Naperville Park District's free Sunday summer concert series lands at Tall Grass Park this week, with local favorites Infunktious bringing high-energy funk and soul to close out the weekend. Bring lawn chairs, a blanket, and something for the kids to snack on — there's plenty of open grass for little ones to run around on while the grown-ups actually get to sit and enjoy a full set.
🎶 Concert Series Details →
   
⭐ Why We Love It
No tickets, no admission gate, no shushing required — kids can dance, wander, and be kids while the band plays. It's the easiest, lowest-stress way to end a big fair-and-sculpture-hunting weekend on a high note.
 
🍽️ Kids Eat Free This Week!
Our Top Pick covers tomorrow's Saturday dinner — and the Regular Pick has tonight (and every weeknight) sorted.
⭐ Top Pick
🥞 Denny's — Bolingbrook
TUESDAYS & SATURDAYS, 4–10 PM
Get up to 2 FREE kids entrées (ages 10 & under) from the kids menu with every adult entrée purchase of $2.50 or more. This location is open 24 hours, so a post-fair pancake dinner Saturday night works whenever you roll in.
📍 126 East North Frontage Rd, Bolingbrook, IL
🥞 IHOP — Aurora (Route 59)
MON–FRI, 4–10 PM
Kids 12 & under eat FREE with the purchase of an adult entrée of $6 or more, every weekday evening — including tonight. Pancake stacks, omelettes, and a real kids' menu make it an easy Friday-night win.
📍 583 S. Route 59, Aurora, IL
 
A Ferris wheel, a scavenger hunt for painted pups, and a free concert to close it all out — this is the kind of weekend that makes summer in Naperville worth bragging about. Send us a photo of your favorite sculpture find; we might just feature it. 🐾
See you around town,
The Naperville FunTimes Team 🧡

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