Elgin event a festival of balloons, lights, music and cuisine

Normally, when you see a hot-air balloon, it's floating along the horizon.

An Elgin fundraiser on Saturday will give people a chance to get close enough to talk with balloonists, see their equipment and actually feel the heat.

"It's a very personal hobby," said Elgin resident Michael Metz, who served as ground support last year for a balloon owned by Ray Liggett of Cary. "It intrigues the kids. It's a spectacle kids enjoy."

The Fox River Festival of Balloons runs 4 to 11 p.m. at Festival Park, 132 S. Grove St., Elgin.

One highlight is at dusk, when 10 balloons -- tethered to the ground -- take turns lighting up a musical score for a "glow show."

The balloons will be launched at about 7:30 a.m. Sunday.

Other attractions include the "Taste of Elgin" on the north side of the park.

It is an assortment of at least five local restaurants designed to give people a sampling of what the city has to offer.

The musical variety is almost as diverse as food.

From 4 to 6 p.m., Villa Street Music -- a mix of pop, blues, jazz and folk music -- will perform on a city-sponsored stage.

Then it's Pandemonium -- a steel drum trio of calypso and Caribbean music -- from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

In past years, the day was spent at Elgin Community College. This is the first time it's held at Festival Park and it's still a fundraiser for the Community Crisis Center, a 23-year-old group that helps victims of domestic or sexual abuse or people who have fallen on hard times.

Also new this year is the "First Annual Bed Race" at 6 p.m. on Grove Street.

Sherman Hospital has donated beds for five-person teams. One person rides and the others will push.

The event is free to enter; people interested should call the crisis center at (847) 697-2380.

Metz hopes people arrive ready to have fun and that the weather is calm.

"This year has been on the windy side and we really haven't had a chance to get the balloons out yet," he said. "It's a good time to see people out of your normal element."

If you go

What: Fox River Festival of Balloons and Taste of Elgin.

When: 4-11 p.m. Saturday

Where: Festival Park, 132 S. Grove St., Elgin.

Info: (847) 931-5667 or www.cityofelgin.org/events.