Fireworks will open, close Glendale Heights Fest
Bracketed between opening night fireworks on Wednesday and a closing fireworks show on Sunday, Glendale Heights Fest will feature plenty of music, food, carnival rides and games.
The festival begins Wednesday and runs through Sunday in Camera Park, 101 E. Fullerton Ave.
"The fireworks have always been our number one draw. Our Sunday night is just phenomenal," said Marge Linnane of the Glendale Heights Fest Committee. "The people who've been here before, they know what they're going to get. They wouldn't miss it."
Wednesday night's 6 p.m. opening ceremonies will be followed by Morgan Station Music's country tunes at 7 p.m. and Modern Day Romeos' performance of an eclectic selection of pop and rock beginning at 8:30 p.m.
On Thursday, acoustic band Trio gets the music started at 6 p.m., before Beatles tribute band American English takes the stage at 8 p.m.
Friday is country night and mechanical bull riding will be available, with proceeds benefiting the Family in Faith Food Pantry in Glendale Heights. Friday night line dancing sessions are set for 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
Schaumburg-based country band Smokin Gunz plays at 7 p.m., followed by a 9 p.m. performance by Back Country Roads, a six-piece northern Illinois band.
Saturday's headliner is Infinity, a Journey tribute band, set to play at 8:30 p.m. The music continues Sunday night with a featured performance by Heart to Heartbreaker, a band that specializes in Heart and Pat Benatar hits.
Bingo games, sponsored by the Junior Woman's Club of Glendale Heights, will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
Linnane said about 20 rides will pack the midway, along with carnival games. Wristbands good for unlimited rides per day are available for $25. The fest also offers a $70 Megapass that is valid for unlimited rides for all five days.
She said the fest got started in the 1980s when officials were looking for a way to celebrate the village's 25th anniversary. Glendale Heights was incorporated on July 13, 1959.
In 1983, a "trial run" was staged with just a few rides. Unfortunately, she said, the weather didn't cooperate.
"It rained for four out of the five days," she said.
That didn't dissuade organizers. The fest continued, becoming an annual tradition that residents and former residents look forward to, Linnane said.
"We have several people who plan vacations with families just for fest," she said.
There is no admission fee.
"We do charge for parking, $5 per vehicle, but that's all," she said.
Linnane said the fest draws a large crowd that's been estimated in the six figures.
"It's packed. It's wall-to-wall people on Sunday," she said.
If you go
What: Glendale Heights Fest
Where: Camera Park, 101 E. Fullerton Ave., Glendale Heights
When: 6 to 11 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, July 12 and 13; 6 p.m. to midnight Friday, July 14; 3 p.m. to midnight Saturday, July 15; and 3 to 11 p.m. Sunday, July 16
Admission: Free
Info: glendaleheightsfest.com or (630) 260-6000