Glendale Hts. wraps up this year’s fest

The shouts could be heard upon entering Camera Park — shouts of joy, that is, from the children riding the turn-everyone-upside-down carnival ride known as the Inverter.

The Inverter was just one of the rides open for business Sunday, the final day of the annual Glendale Heights Fest.

Resident Nancy Speier said her son, Sam, couldn’t wait to give the Inverter a try.

“He loves all this stuff,” she said. “It’s why we keep coming out here.”

The festival got under way Wednesday at the park on Fullerton Avenue. In addition to the carnival, the fest included a “Glendale Idol” contest and plenty of food and live music. Scheduled for Sunday night were a fireworks display — the second of the festival — and a performance by hardworking Chicago party band 7th Heaven.

Sharon McNamara said the festival offered an easy and inexpensive weekend’s worth of entertainment for her family. Admission to the festival was free, and the charge for carnival rides was reasonable, she said.

“I don’t know where else you could bring your kids and do this much for so little money,” she said. “And later tonight, my husband and I plan to come back to see the band. That’s a pretty good deal.”