Taste of Lombard canceled, fireworks to continue

Village officials have decided to suspend Taste of Lombard this year due to what they call the "unforeseen dissolution" of the Lombard Jaycees, which sponsored the event for 32 years.

Officials said the Fourth of July celebrations with fireworks still will take place this summer, but the multiday festival and carnival will not return.

"Our fireworks display has always been a highlight of the Taste of Lombard festival and we are committed to continuing our funding toward this portion of the festivities, just as we have in previous years," Village President Keith Giagnorio said in a statement.

All interested community groups that want to apply to be the successor organization to host Taste of Lombard in 2016 will have an opportunity to submit a proposal later this year.

The Lombard Jaycees disbanded last fall. A new group called Lombard Commonwealth has been formed by some of former Jaycees members.

For the past 18 years, the village has awarded a grant to the Jaycees to put on the fireworks show during Taste of Lombard.

"In addition to funding the fireworks each year, the village commits a tremendous amount of village resources and staff time to the Taste of Lombard event," Village Manager Scott Niehaus said. "With planning for such a large-scale event needing to take place immediately and the recent and unexpected loss of the lead agency, we feel it is best to take a step back this year and open up the opportunity to host a summer festival to all interested community organizations on equal footing."

Village officials say Lombard Commonwealth expressed an interest in taking over the Taste of Lombard. But the village also received a request for local tourism grant funding from a second nonprofit organization with ties to the former Lombard Jaycees.

"With competing requests to fund a summer festival from two newly created nonprofits, both formerly affiliated with the Lombard Jaycees, we felt it was most prudent to continue with the fireworks celebration this year but to take some time to properly re-evaluate all of our options moving forward," Giagnorio said.

Trustee Laura Fitzpatrick said in a statement that anyone applying for the local tourism grant must submit two years of past budget information for the event and a copy of the agency's most recent audit and federal tax forms. She said neither of the groups that expressed interest in hosting Taste of Lombard this year had any of those documents immediately available.

"With such a large amount of public dollars at stake, we need to have adequate documentation of an established financial track record and ability to host an event of this scale," she said. "Rather than funding the fireworks through a local grant this year, the village is planning to seek proposals from multiple vendors and directly contract for the display."