Now approaching: West Chicago Railroad Days
It's planes, trains and automobiles at West Chicago Railroad Days — in addition to the carnival, bands and fest foods.
The fest opens Thursday, July 7, and runs through Sunday, July 10, at Reed-Keppler Park at the intersection of Arbor and National streets. The festival offers free performances by national and local bands, a carnival, an art fiesta, fireworks, a 5K run, a parade and more.
David Sabathne, president and CEO of the Western DuPage Chamber of Commerce, said the joy of overseeing the fest is all the free entertainment it provides people.
“The focus has been to provide things that people don't have to spend a lot of money on, so they can come and enjoy the day and not spend a lot of money,” Sabathne said. “We'll even get them to and from the park from downtown or the Metra.”
People are encouraged to take advantage of free bus service to and from the fest from locations on Main Street and Washington Street.
While Railroad Days pays tribute to the town's early days as a rail stop, the many modes of transportation are represented well.
New this year is a car show. More than 100 classic cars are expected for the inaugural show from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
The town's ties to the railways can be seen in miniature scale at Lego Mania from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the West Chicago Public Library. People can relive the history of the railroad by looking at Joe Ellenbecker's Lego re-creation.
Sabathne marveled at how similar the Lego version of the chamber's office is to the existing structure.
“It's amazing how accurate it is,” Sabathne said. “It's not close — they look exactly like each other. We have a copper roof right at the front and it's even got that right.”
The event is free, but tickets are required and can be picked up at the library's youth services desk.
Main stage entertainment offers a variety of music genres for all people, Sabathne said.
“English Beat was the first ska band in the 1980s and they're fantastic and fun,” he said. “We have music anywhere from barbershop quartet to rock 'n' roll, AC/DC. We really cover the whole spectrum.”
The fest begins at 5 p.m. Thursday when the carnival and beer garden open. Entertainment includes Big Band, 1940s Women Baseball and Kevin Chalfant's Journey Experience.
On Friday, the fest opens at 5 p.m. and includes an art fiesta from 6-9 p.m. Main stage entertainment includes Saturday June Band, Allison Wonderband and English Beat.
Saturday evening includes fireworks at dusk. On the main stage, entertainment includes 25 or 6 to 4, a Chicago tribute band, as well as Down/Pour, an AC/DC tribute band.
Events Sunday include the parade at 1 p.m. and main stage entertainment Fluid Impulse, Voyage and Heartache Tonight, an Eagles tribute band.
The parade route is different this year as a result of construction on Washington Street. The parade will stage at the high school on the south side of town and take Conde Street to Wilson Avenue to Main Street to McConnell to Arbor Avenue.
Any proceeds from the event go to donations for organizations that volunteer to help during the event, such as the Civil Air Patrol based at DuPage Airport.
The Civil Air Patrol is a civilian group that assists government and local law enforcement using airplanes in search and rescue missions and more. At Railroad Days, Civil Air Patrol members patrol the grounds to seek out safety hazards.
“Basically, we're there to help the chamber in different areas that we are comfortable doing,” said David Hoover, a Civil Air Patrol major and deputy captain.
“We are not the police. We are not the military. We can help if somebody needs directions or if people have lost different items and we can help them find them. We're there to make the entire time more enjoyable and safe.”
For a full list of entertainment times and events, visit westerndupagechamber.com.
If you go
If you go
What: West Chicago Railroad Days
When: Today through Sunday, July 7-10
Where: Reed-Keppler Park, Arbor and National streets, West Chicago
Cost: Free admission
Info: (630) 231-3003 or westerndupagechamber.com