THE SINGING SLOVENES * JOHN CHURNOVIC & THE SLIVO EXPRESS * RAY KONCAR & THE BOYS

SMOKIES * BEER & WINE * CULTURAL EXHIBITS

Proudly Presented by the Joliet Area Historical Museum and its community partners.

The Slovenian Grape Harvest Festival is a cultural heritage celebration that was an annual tradition in Joliet from 1980 to 2005. For the 2nd year in a row JAHM is resurrecting the festival on Sunday, October 1, 2023, featuring traditional Slovenian food, beverages, baked goods and music in the former Rivals Park Picnic Grounds at Haunted Trails.

The location is adjacent to the 1926 Martin & Emma Planinsek Grocery & Meat Market Museum at 1314 Elizabeth Street, which JAHM is currently restoring into a museum that documents the cultural experiences of Slovenian immigrants like Martin and Emma during this period. The Planinsek Grocery and Meat Market Museum preserves, shares and interprets the Slovenian immigrant experience in Joliet, their role in community development, and their lasting cultural impact on the city through the lens of the Planinsek family.

The project is being generously endowed by Ken and Irene (nee Planinsek) Odorizzi.

For more information: Grape Harvest