As summer fades into fall in Downtown Sterling, we’ve been reflecting on just how much happened over the past few months — and, more importantly, how many people it took to make it all happen.
From classic cars, to music filling the streets, families discovering something new at our first-ever Sterling Street Fest, Hot Dog Day fun, Saturday mornings at the Farmers Market and neighbors simply spending time together downtown, Summer 2026 gave us plenty of reasons to celebrate.
And for all of it, we have a lot of people to thank.
A New Tradition Begins with Street Fest
One of the biggest highlights of the summer was the inaugural Sterling Street Fest on July 25.
Street Fest is a great example of what can happen when ideas, people and partnerships come together.
The seeds for the event really came from a couple of different directions. I’d had lunch with local DJ and friend, Gustavo Medrano early this spring. In our conversation, brainstorming ideas for energizing our downtown, the Quad City’s Mercado on 5th came up, along with our own Pop Up Markets. That inspired the concept of centralizing more activities right in the heart of downtown. Taking that information back to our Promotion’s committee, City Clerk, and Main Street volunteer Teri Sathoff shared that our Public Works director, Brad Schrader, and a friend of his, local business owner, Jeff Bright, had been discussing ideas on ways to bring back the feel of the community Block Party events of years past — an opportunity to close down some streets, bring people together and simply have some fun downtown.
Rather than creating separate events, we brought those conversations together. The result was Sterling Street Fest — a new event combining music, makers, food, family activities and community into one afternoon and evening in the heart of downtown.
For a first-year event, we couldn’t have been happier with the response. More than 40 makers and vendors joined us, our downtown streets and spaces were filled with activity, and the community showed up to support something brand new.
We learned a few things along the way — as you always do when trying something for the first time — but that’s part of the fun of building something new. We’re excited to keep working with our partners, vendors, businesses and community to grow Street Fest for years to come.
An event of that size also doesn’t happen without significant community investment. Thank you to our 2026 Street Fest sponsors and supporters, including Sauk Valley Bank, Mead & Hunt, CGH Medical Center, Loescher Heating & Air Conditioning, Sterling Federal Bank, Comcast/Xfinity, Mead & Hunt, Joe Strabala-Bright, Dunk’s Restaurant & Pizzeria, MO-ST Plumbing & Mechanical, Surf Broadband, The Mertes Law Firm, Willett Hofmann & Associates, Smeltzer Insurance, Johnson Oil Co., Midland States Bank, Astec Industries, Bonnell Industries, First Onsite, Helm Group, Verifacts, Strand, Rock River Ready Mix, Central Bank Illinois, Edward Jones – Nick Lareau, Select Employees Credit Union, Northern Illinois Home Medical Supply, 1st Gateway Credit Union, McCue Tax & Accounting, Kuz It’s Fun, Republic Services and Shaw Local Radio.
Thank you, too, to every vendor, musician, volunteer, downtown business, City employee and community partner who helped us turn an idea into an event.
You helped create something new for Sterling — and we’re looking forward to seeing where it goes next.
Rally on the Rock Keeps Growing
Another highlight of Summer 2026 has been watching Rally on the Rock continue to grow.
What began as an extension of our annual May Car Show has become a summer tradition of its own. On the first Friday evenings of summer, the Sterling Marketplace fills with classic and custom cars, music and people, grabbing dinner, visiting businesses and reconnecting with friends.
Seeing both the number of cars and the number of spectators continue to grow has been exciting — and it wouldn’t be possible without the people who support the series year after year.
A huge thank you to our 2026 Car Show and Rally on the Rock supporters: Kunes Sauk Valley, Sterling NAPA Auto Parts, Sterling Commercial Roofing, Sterling Chevy, The Boathouse, Sauk Valley Bank, A1 Auto & Boat Storage, Scholl Insurance, CGH Medical Center, Boston Leather, Exclusive Style & Protection, Steel Town Speed, Showplace Antiques.
We also owe a big thank you to the volunteers who help with setup, parking and all the little things that happen behind the scenes, the car owners who bring out their vehicles month after month, the businesses that welcome the extra activity, and everyone who comes downtown just to walk around and enjoy the evening.
Your participation is what keeps Rally growing.
A Sterling Tradition: Hot Dog Day
Of course, you can’t talk about summer in Downtown Sterling without Hot Dog Day.
It’s quirky, it’s fun, and it’s one of those traditions that simply feels like Sterling.
Each year our downtown businesses and organizations embrace the day, open their doors and help us serve up thousands of hot dogs to the community. It’s a simple event at heart, but seeing sidewalks full of people visiting businesses, running into friends and exploring downtown is exactly why we continue to love it.
Thank you to every business, organization and volunteer who served as a Hot Dog Day stop. You are what makes this tradition possible year after year.
Summer Isn’t Quite Over at the Farmers Market
While we’re wrapping up the traditional summer season, there’s still plenty of time to enjoy the Twin City Farmers Market.
Our year-round indoor market continues every Saturday, and the outdoor Farmers Market season continues through October 31.
Throughout the summer, the Market has brought together local growers, bakers, makers and small businesses while giving residents another reason to spend their Saturday mornings in downtown Sterling.
Thank you to our vendors and customers who continue to make the Market such an important part of our downtown — and don’t put away those Farmers Market bags just yet. There are still several weeks of outdoor market season ahead and the indoor Market continues year-round!
Caring for Downtown, One Project at a Time
Our events may get much of the attention, but some of the most important work happening downtown isn’t nearly as flashy.
Throughout the season, Team Up 2 Clean Up volunteers have continued giving their time to pick up litter, tackle cleanup projects and simply help take care of our downtown.
These volunteers demonstrate something we believe strongly at Sterling Main Street: making a difference in your community doesn’t always require a huge project. Sometimes it means grabbing a pair of gloves, giving up an hour of your Saturday morning and leaving one little corner of your community better than you found it.
Thank you to everyone who joined us this season and to the businesses and organizations that support those efforts.
None of This Happens by Accident
It’s easy to arrive at a festival, cruise night or community activity once everything is set up and assume it simply appeared.
It doesn’t.
Behind every event are months of meetings, phone calls, emails, permits, sponsorship requests, vendor coordination, marketing, equipment moving, setup, cleanup and dozens of other little jobs most people will never see.
Sterling Main Street is fortunate to have board and committee members, volunteers, businesses, sponsors, community organizations, City partners and residents who continue to answer the question, “How can we help?”
And then there are the people who attend.
That matters just as much.
Every time you come downtown for an event, shop at a local business, grab dinner before a cruise night, bring your kids to an activity, buy something from a local vendor, invite a friend to join you or simply share one of our posts, you’re participating in the work of creating a vibrant downtown.
Thank You, Sterling
So as we look back on Summer 2026, our biggest message is simply: thank you.
Thank you to the people who had the ideas.
Thank you to the people who helped turn those ideas into plans.
Thank you to the people who sponsored them.
Thank you to the people who volunteered.
Thank you to the businesses and organizations that participated.
Thank you to our community partners and the City of Sterling.
And thank you to everyone who showed up.
We’re already looking ahead to 2027, including the return of Sterling Street Fest on June 12th, and we’re excited to continue building on the energy we saw downtown this year.
Because ultimately, these events aren’t really about filling a calendar.
They’re about creating reasons to gather, making memories, supporting local businesses and building stronger connections to the place we call home.
That’s what Main Street is all about.
And after a summer like this one, we’re pretty excited about what’s ahead for Downtown Sterling.
