For a few weeks now I have been keeping notes on the growing number of events that were scheduled to take place this past Saturday, Sept. 20. 2025, and focusing on what I could cover, what I needed to freelance out and what was going to be left in the dust.

I reached out to a pair of freelance photographers who both said “sorry, not sorry,” busy.

Onto plan B.

What were, in my humble opinion, the events that I could focus on and that would be of the greatest interest to the community, be visually interesting and ones that I personally enjoy covering?

Onto plan C.

Because every one of these six events that I targeted matched at least two of that criteria, I decided I would try and get to all these six events: Dixon’s Cops and Bobbers, Nachusa Grassland’s Autumn on the Prairie, Dixon’s Fall and Fantasy Fest, Morrison’s Paint the Town, Sterling’s Fiesta Parade and Walton Fest.

The day started inauspicious. I had outdated information on the Dixon Police’s Cops and Bobbers event, arriving at Lowell Park to find a beautiful day but no cops (most days this is a good thing). Doing some investigative journalism (Google), I see the event was being held at Page Park. Lucky for me I had started my day a bit earlier than planned so this little detour was nary a problem.

Kids. Cops. Fish. Done.

One of my favorite events of the year is Autumn on the Prairie at the Nachusa Grasslands. The open sky above the swaying prairie grasses really sets my soul at ease. Unfortunately, due to my tight schedule I was unable to take the buffalo bus to get an up-close visit with the prairie giants.

Flowers. Raptors. No bison. Done.

As I left the grasslands I thought, “Hey, why not add a bonus stop at the Franklin Creek grist mill,” as there was an event there as well. After glancing at my watch I realized I had spent far too much time with my camera in the flowers to divert from my plan.

Up next was Fall and Fantasy Fest back in Dixon. The event was moved from Lowell Park last year to its new spot at Granny Rose Animal Shelter. The unique event brought in a cast of artists, LARPers, and demonstrators to dazzle and educate its visitors.

Cannon fire. Fire eater. Sword play. Done.

At this time I got a little anxious. I wanted to get to Morrison for Paint the Town before heading to Rock Falls-Sterling’s Fiesta Parade and was lagging a bit behind. Good thing all the cops were fishing because I may have put the pedal to the metal a bit to get there. I just love the color and artistic expression seen at this huge event, so it was a must do. It didn’t take long to find a nice oeuvre of satisfying images and head off for Sterling.

Paints. Pollocks. Palettes. Done.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 43

Wrenley Morris, 5, of Dixon checks out the whopper she reeled in Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, during Dixon PD’s Cops and Bobbers fishing event. (Alex T. Paschal)

I overestimated the amount of time it would take the start of the parade in Rock Falls to make it to where I was planning to shoot from in Sterling. Missing a few of the first parade entries, I dove right in and got to work. The vibrancy of the Hispanic culture, the thousands of people lining the streets and a couple of visits from old friends helped propel my weary self forward.

Culture. Friendship. Community. Done.

After refueling myself and my trusty steed, I spent a few hours editing before one last stop to end the day. The tiny town of Walton knows how to put on a fest. Though I was only there for a short time at the end, the band fired up the late-day revelers with their high-energy hits.

Music. Dancing. Done.