Villa Park seeks local bands for Summerfest

Villa Park is looking for some quality local bands to perform at this year's Summerfest on June 21.

"We're trying to mix up the theme as much as we can," said Summerfest Commission member Don Adydan. "It's a family environment. We're hoping for some family-friendly groups."

Anyone interested must submit two to three songs on a CD before April 4. Entries will not be returned.

Qualifications include: at least one band member must reside in Villa Park and entrants must provide primary and secondary telephone numbers and e-mail addresses.

"More than anything, we want to give the local bands some exposure," Adydan said.

Selected bands will be notified by April 21, though time slots, set lengths and order of appearance will be determined at a later date by the Summerfest Commission.

All bands will perform on a voluntary basis sometime between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. during the festival, which will be at Ardmore Avenue and Park Boulevard near the gazebo in the heart of the business district this year. Musicians are not paid for the event, which also features local food vendors, a business expo, arts and crafts fair, games and inflatable attractions.

"People have described it as a big family block party," said event spokeswoman Stacey Cullerton.

Entries should be mailed to Summerfest Entertainment Selection, P.O. Box 6750, Villa Park, IL 60181.

In addition to bands, volunteers are sought to help with other aspects of the event. For details, see the fest organizers' new Web site at www.villaparksummerfest.com.

Entertainment questions may be directed to Sam Greco at sam@villaparksummerfest.com.