June 8
First Annual Beachwalk
312-435-4548, ext. 16
Scotland has the Loch Ness monster, Churubusco has Oscar the Turtle. The legend goes like this: In 1948 a farmer spotted a snapping turtle with a shell as big as a dining room table, a head the size of a ten-year-old child, and a neck as wide as a stovepipe. The search for “Oscar” in Fulk Lake made national news in 1949, but no monster reptile ever turned up. Churubusco started its Turtle Days festival in 1950, and folks around town still believe in the existence of the beast. Some claim to have almost caught him; the library has pictures. The festival features carnival rides and booths, and of course turtle races. For horticulturalists, the town is also home to Taylor’s Ornamental Grasses (5528 McDuffee Rd., 219-693-6284), a ten-acre farm that sells over 50 varieties of grass.
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July 26-28
Pierogi Fest
August 8-11
Amish Acres
August 16-18
Elwood Glass Festival
