St. Charles RiverFest winners announced
Despite weather delays and forced closing of some sites over last weekend, St. Charles' Pride of the Fox RiverFest was deemed a winning event for most participants, according to Joy Meierhans, RiverFest executive director.
St. Charles Park District officials closed Pottawatomie Park for a while Sunday due to a threat of high winds and lightning associated with severe thunderstorms.
"The Wonder Lake Water Ski Show Team performances had to be canceled, and one of the Canine Entertainment shows, but as soon as the all clear was given, the dogs took to the field and the intrepid dragon boat racers paddled on, completing their event about 6 p.m.," Meierhans said.
Winners in the 17th annual running of the RiverFest Dragon Boat Races in the Saturday Komodo Division are: Tooling Solutions Dragon Slayers, first place; Blue Wave, second place and McNally's Nishnabe, third place. Sunday's winners were Fox Valley Rugby Football Club, first place; Dragon Flier, second place and Baxia's Clan, third place.
In the Lizard Division, Saturday's winners are: World Dragons - Evanston Lighthouse, first place; Mitutoyo Dragons, second place and Team Survivor Madison, third place. Sunday's winners are St. Charles Mother's Club, first place; Lincoln Lovely Ladies, second place and Panda Express, third place.
Spirit Awards were presented to the Knightriders (Knights of Columbus) Saturday and Hampshire Dog Paddlers (Hampshire Animal Hospital) Sunday.
Within an hour after the park closing, the sun came out and the evening remained bright, clear and temperate for the RiverFest Bachelor Charity Auction at which $1,675 was raised for Court Appointed Special Advocates of Kane County, Lazarus House, American Heart and Lung Association and Anderson Animal Hospital.
Bachelors lending their support are twentysomething twins Dan and Dave Lipka of St. Charles, owners of Boondocks Bar & Grill, West Chicago; Derrick Foreman of Lombard, a commercial relationship manager for Harris, St. Charles; Grant Werner of Geneva, executive chef for Colonial Café & Ice Cream; Rob Bennett of Plainfield, entrepreneur; Brett Penager of Chicago, chief marketing officer for Chiro One; Mike Fraiser of St. Charles, owner of The Wine Exchange and part- owner of Sage Bistro and Adam Blair of Oak Park, lead singer for Dot Dot Dot, RiverFest's headliner Saturday night.
Master of ceremonies for the Charity Bachelor Auction was Leslie Harris of 95.9 The River. Sue Callison of Callison Auction Services in Sugar Grove donated her talents to calling the bids.
Fair weather Sunday night lead to near-record crowds at the Harris Riverside Stage to enjoy Hi Infidelity, the REO/Styx/Journey cover band that made its fifth appearance at the festival.
Fortunately, judging for the Fine Arts Show tented along the Riverwalk took place Saturday, because the anticipated high winds Sunday dismantled some displays, blowing many tents to the ground.
Best of Show in the 22nd Annual Fine Arts Show went to Roger Viager of Aledo, Ill.
"Roger is in utter and passionate love with wood," says Ann Leslie, who coordinates the Fine Arts Show. "When he discovered wood turning, it allowed him to create and liberate the beautiful art that was hiding inside the wood itself," she said.
Earlier on Saturday, each of the contestants in the 17-and-under RiverFest Idol Search Contest was declared a winner.
In Sunday's adult divisions, first place overall went to Katie Fatagato, 19, of St. Charles, who did an original song she wrote with Mark Guy. Her second song was KT Tunstall's "Suddenly I See."
Earl Keating of Roselle, won first place male over 50 with classic Sinatra standards, and Bobby C of Naperville took first in the male under 50 category with Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" in round one and a Ray Charles imitation for the second round.