Editing Normal, Illinois (section)

===Events===
Make Music Normal has coincided with the international Make Music Day in June since 2013. The two-day festival highlights musicians from the Central Illinois area on multiple stages around Uptown. Local artists and vendors complete the festival atmosphere.<ref>{{cite web | title=Make Music Normal on Facebook | website=[[Facebook]] | url=https://www.facebook.com/makemusicnormal/posts/2282235115372820?__tn__=K-R | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411224308/https://www.facebook.com/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fmakemusicnormal%2Fposts%2F2282235115372820%3F__tn__%3DK-R | archive-date=April 11, 2022 | url-status=live | access-date=July 5, 2019 }}</ref>

Established in 1983, the Sugar Creek Arts Festival is held each autumn in Uptown Normal. The combination of high-quality art, live music and food has kept the streets of Normal full of color and activity for over 22 years. The festival has a unique trait- only original pieces of artwork are shown; not copies of prints or items purchased overseas. The Sugar Creek Arts Festival, hosted by the McLean Country Arts Center, is one of the largest art festivals in Central Illinois and continues to grow.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mcaart.org/mcac/html/sugarcreek.html |title=McLean County Arts Center: Sugar Creek Art Festival |publisher=Mcaart.org |date=July 8, 2012 |access-date=July 17, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728141149/http://www.mcaart.org/mcac/html/sugarcreek.html |archive-date=July 28, 2012 }}</ref>

The Sweet Corn Blues Festival is held each August in Uptown Normal and features over 50,000 ears of fresh sweet corn, sidewalk sales, arts, crafts and flea market vendors. The festival also serves as a welcome back for students at Illinois State University.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.normal.org/uptown/cornfest.asp |title= Cornfest - Town of Normal, Illinois|website=www.normal.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927031947/http://www.normal.org/uptown/cornfest.asp |archive-date=September 27, 2011}}</ref>

Beginning in 1978 with twenty-one performances on the tennis courts of Ewing Manor, the [[Illinois Shakespeare Festival]] has grown to become an internationally recognized company; now putting on thirty-six performances each season in a state-of-the-art, Elizabethan-style theater.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thefestival.org/about/history.shtml |title=Illinois Shakespeare Festival &#124; About Us &#124; History |publisher=Thefestival.org |date=July 6, 1978 |access-date=July 17, 2012 |archive-date=July 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722041612/http://thefestival.org/about/history.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2009, the Illinois Shakespeare Festival was named one of the ten best theatre festivals anywhere by author Susan Magsamen in her book, "The 10 Best of Everything Families: An Ultimate Guide for Travelers", published by ''[[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bloomingtonnormalcvb.org/community-bloomington-normal.cfm |title=Bloomington-Normal Convention And Visitors Bureau – Community – Bloomington-Normal |publisher=Bloomingtonnormalcvb.org |date=May 20, 2012 |access-date=July 17, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815145644/http://www.bloomingtonnormalcvb.org/community-bloomington-normal.cfm |archive-date=August 15, 2012 }}</ref>