Des Plaines planning changes for Summer Fling festival
Members of Des Plaines' special events commission want to give the city's downtown summer festival a makeover, which could include a new name and more local food vendors.
The first step, they believe, is to hire a new event management group to operate the fest, known for the last four years as Summer Fling.
They're turning to Chicago-based Ravenswood Event Services Inc., which runs the popular St. Charles Scarecrow Fest, to produce a two-day Des Plaines festival in early summer.
The city council will consider a contract Tuesday night to hire Ravenswood in an amount not to exceed $20,000. The special events commission has recommended a new operator to replace Special Events Management, which has run the fest the last four years.
"I could only tell you that people I speak to - citizens of the city of Des Plaines - all feel the same way. They feel unsatisfied and these events really should be about community," said Beth Pauze, the commission's co-chair. "When you walk in and see these large amusement rides and strangers running the booths and typical food you see at every event, it's not a personal experience. I think people want a taste of the food in their own city."
For 10 years, members of the volunteer commission had run the fest, then known as Taste of Des Plaines. In 2011, former Mayor Marty Moylan brought in Special Events Management to manage it in an effort to reduce city costs.
Current Mayor Matt Bogusz has tried to restore the role of the special events commission since taking office in 2013, after Moylan left for a seat in the state legislature. Last week, Bogusz proposed that a professional city staff member be hired to assist the activities of the commission. That person would be focused specifically on programming special events citywide.
"I think the city of Des Plaines is going through some changes," Pauze said. "They're moving forward. The mayor is talking about making some changes and refreshing Des Plaines."
The city council agreed to retain Special Events Management last year, though the Summer Fling was reduced to two days because of low attendance on Sundays, while the carnival portion of the festival was eliminated.
Pauze said commission members are hoping the new fest organizer will help make the fest "more localized to Des Plaines," which could include partnering with local organizations and restaurants.
"One thing I like is they are more than willing to sit down at the table and listen to things we want, and not dictate what they want to bring in," Pauze said. "They're not going to sit back and let us dictate either."
Under the proposed agreement, the city will pay Ravenswood $10,000 upfront. The city will pay up to another $10,000 for any net losses incurred from the festival.
If there's a net profit, Ravenswood will get all profits up to $5,000. Ravenswood would get 70 percent of the remaining profits, and the city would get 30 percent.