Jubilee Days Festival

Jubilee Days Festival

Labor Day weekend

Founded in 1948, Jubilee Days began as a celebration of the harvest and of God's blessings on the community. It has since become a celebration of the unique heritage of Zion, Illinois.
The town was founded in 1901 by the reverend John Alexander Dowie, organizer of the Christian Catholic Church. Wanting to create a city ruled by God, Dowie bought some 6,000 acres of land north of Chicago and founded Zion. All residents were given a 1,100 year lease on the land (Dowie assumed that Christ would return within 100 years and his 1,000 year reign would follow that) and shared in the community's profits. In 1905 Dowie suffered a stroke and was unable to oversee further construction of the new city. He died in 1907 and was succeeded by Wilbur Glenn Voliva. The 2007 festival included an arts and crafts festival, a 5k run, a mayor's prayer breakfast, a Zion queen's pageant, a Civil War reenactment, and a 100-plus unit parade.

CONTACTS:
City of Zion
2828 Sheridan Rd.
Zion, IL 60099
847-746-4000
www.cityofzion.com

Celebration days:
2011: Sep 3 - Sep 5
2012: Sep 1 - Sep 3
2013: Aug 31 - Sep 2
2014: Aug 30 - Sep 1
2015: Sep 5 - Sep 7