Tickets still available for Slide the City in Carpentersville

Maple Avenue in Carpentersville will be transformed into a giant slip 'n slide Saturday, giving suburban residents a chance to experience what organizers are calling one of the steepest hills on this year's Slide the City schedule.

As of Tuesday, more than 1,000 tickets had been sold for rides down the 1,000-foot vinyl water slide, which will stretch from Rosewood Drive to Tamarac Drive, said Slide the City owner Spencer Hunn. The goal, he said, is to sell at least 2,000 more tickets.

“It will be the best event of the year,” Hunn said. “People don't really understand how important the length and the scope of the hill is. The Carpentersville hill is so steep, it's almost scary.”

Ultimate Slider tickets, which offer unlimited slides from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., can be purchased at slidethecity.com for $40 until the day of the event, when the price jumps to $45. Other ticket packages, including an all-day slider pass and a friends and family package, are also available.

Tubes can be borrowed for free during the event or purchased for $2. Sliders must be at least 5 years old and 46 inches tall.

Those who have already purchased tickets for the Slide the City event in Chicago, which is scheduled the following weekend, can also receive a discounted price on Carpentersville tickets, Hunn said. During registration on Saturday, he said, the event staff can look up a participant's Chicago ticket, and they can slide in Carpentersville for $10.

Admittance is free for an accompanying festival, which offers live music, food vendors, beverages and merchandise for sale.

“It's going to be a big block party,” Hunn said. “It's the best kept secret in the Chicago suburbs.”