How to maximize your festival weekend
Ask a dozen people at any Fourth of July weekend festival what drew them there and you might get a dozen different answers.
Some'll say fireworks or food or music or parades or any combination or even all four. See, the best thing about Fourth of July festivals is that they've got all those things and they're happening everywhere.
You're bound to have a good time wherever the weekend takes you, but here are some tips that might maximize your merriment based on what pulls your strings.
Parades
Early bird gets the candy:
Organizers of Warrenville's Fourth of July celebration couldn't wait to get to steppin'. The city's parade kicks off at 6 p.m. today. The beauty of this being the first parade of the weekend, and the only one of the day, is that candy-slinging politicians likely will be bountiful. That's right, it's an election year. Parades may last longer, but spectators are more handsomely rewarded for their patience. Conventional parade-candy-gathering wisdom is to stake out a spot in the middle of the route. At the beginning, candy tossers are conservative. At the end, there's a risk they are empty.
When one is not enough:
Dozens of parades will be held throughout the suburbs on July 4. Organizers stagger the times so people participating in one parade can march in another later in the day. That same philosophy applies to spectators. You can hit the Vernon Hills parade at 9 a.m., head to Rolling Meadows for the 11:30 a.m. start, be in Mount Prospect for the 1 p.m. march, hit Lisle at 3:30 p.m. and get to Wheeling for the 6 p.m. start with a big finale with Lake Zurich's 8 p.m. boat parade.
Whew!
The practical parade:
Mundelein's parade is the last one of the holiday weekend. It steps off at 2 p.m. Sunday. It's scheduled purely for convenience sake.
"It was explained to me that it's just too hard to find participants because everyone else is having it July 4," explained Tami Schafernak, Mundelein village hall administrative office assistant. "And if the Fourth falls on a Sunday, we change it to a different day."
Fireworks
Louder, lovelier boom:
One of the larger fireworks shows takes place in Chicago the day before Independence Day. Most communities defer to the Second City before launching their homage to pyrotechnics. But if you're looking for suburban extravagance, Itasca's Fourth of July fireworks show is widely renowned for its lavishness and accompanying music. Many communities set fireworks shows to song in an effort to heighten the experience.
"It just adds more excitement to it when you add music," said Elgin's special events coordinator Barb Keselica. "It's on the radio here, so you can watch from anywhere and listen."
A steady barrage:
Wayne Dunham has a simple explanation why Lisle's Eyes to the Skies Festival ends every day with a 9:45 p.m. fireworks show.
"Because I like fireworks," the longtime event organizer said. "No one's ever complained about them. They call them teasers around the big July 4 show. That one lasts 30 minutes and is done by the same guys that do Chicago. The other days are only about 15 minutes long."
Music
Big names on the main stage:
There's no shortage of quality musical entertainment at some of the larger events this weekend. Starship kicks off Hoffman Estates' Fourth of July Festival on Thursday as does country star Blake Shelton at Eyes to the Skies.
Friday's headlining highlight is REO Speedwagon at Naperville's Ribfest. Former Styx frontman and local boy Dennis DeYoung is Saturday's big draw at Arlington Heights' Frontier Days, and festival favorites Sister Hazel are headlining Sunday at the Crystal Lake Gala.
Homegrown talent:
Many of this weekend's festivals reserve spots in the entertainment lineup for local groups, but Barrington even keeps the headlining slots open for its musically inclined native sons and daughters.
"Sixteen Candles is a pretty big band, and some of those guys grew up here," said festival Chairman Brian Cecola. "We open the weekend with I-Road, who are all young Barrington guys. We just like to have community people play, and they provide a variety of music for everyone."
Food
Follow your "Taste" buds:
Today is a good day to take in a Taste. Taste of Lombard, Taste of Mount Prospect and the massive Taste of Chicago already are in full swing. The vendors have probably worked out any kinks, and there's likely no chance anyone will be out of food yet.
Have appetite, will compete:
Looking to put your money where your mouth is? How about a chicken-wing eating contest at 4 p.m. Friday in Mundelein? There's a watermelon speed-eating contest at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Addison. There are dueling pie-eating contests in Aurora at 2:15 p.m. and Sleepy Hollow at 3 p.m. on Friday as well.
"We use some sort of filling, either chocolate or butterscotch, and cover it with whipped cream, so it's not some gourmet delight, but the kids definitely go crazy digging in," said Sleepy Hollow Service Club spokesman Wayne Eischen. "It's turned into a bit of a food fight before when some of the losers started tossing what they couldn't finish into the crowd."