Festivals draw crowds in DuPage
The crowds began lining up early Friday outside the entrance to Naperville's Rib Fest.
While suburbanites throughout the Western suburbs were either grilling or partaking in town parades to celebrate Independence Day, those waiting outside the festival fairgrounds here had one thing in mind.
"I want me some nice smoked ribs just lathered with that sweet, juicy barbecue sauce," said Manuel Gonzalez of Roselle.
By noon, the grills were fired up and families like Plainfield resident Sheri Busker and her 6-year-old daughter, Alyssa, spent the day chowing down under the tents.
Indeed, Independence Day was on full display all over DuPage County.
Families staked out curbside seats early Friday morning in Wheaton along the city's annual Fourth of July parade route, a must-do event for both kids hoping to score free candy and politicians hoping to score votes.
Some, like Jim Archuleta of Wheaton, rolled into downtown on his mountain bike with his two kids in tow.
In nearby Carol Stream, thousands of spectators lined up along Lies Road to watch the Glenbard North High School marching band, fire-twirling Hawaiian dancers and members of the Jesse White Tumblers snake their way toward the Ross Ferraro Town Center.
Several other communities, including Glen Ellyn, Lisle and Villa Park, followed suit with their own parades complete with floats, marching bands and a host of volunteers flinging candy into the crowds.
"There's nothing like a small-town parade," Archuleta said.