Big names pared from Vernon Hills Summer Celebration

The show will go on this summer in Vernon Hills, but village board members are keeping a close watch on expenses.

Preliminary discussions envision spending about $30,000 on entertainment this summer for Summer Celebration, the village's annual premier event, compared with about $54,000 in previous years.

That means more cover bands and less reliance on big-name acts.

"We'll get away from the $20,000 band with one original member," said Village Manager Mike Allison.

Last year, the village expanded the festival to five days and snared big-time entertainment because it was Vernon Hills' 50th anniversary. Expensive headliners including Creedence Clearwater Revisited skewed the average, however, and Summer Celebration 2008 is not being used for comparison as the village board considers expenses for this year.

Because of the significance of the event, organizers last year pulled out the stops on the sound system, described as "first class" by Mayor Roger Byrne.

"Different year, different time, different financial situation," he said during a recent discussion. "I'm sure they can still put on a quality show with a reduced budget."

Allison said there will be a difference in sound compared with last year and the committee is working to further reduce the $30,000 estimated production cost for 2009.

This year, the show is planned for four days, which has been the norm the past several years. The preliminary budget of $75,000 also includes $15,000 for fireworks. Board members will finalize the figures in the coming months as part of general budget discussions.

"With the reduction in entertainment cost and other costs, such as some amount of police overtime, we can get the total deficit down to $15,000 to $20,000 assuming our revenue is maintained," Allison informed the board.

In 2007, the total cost of the event was more than $140,000. Revenues, including a $34,500 gift from corporations, were about $133,000, leaving a deficit of more than $7,000.

Trustee Barbara Williams said the village might consider combining some festivals. Summer Celebration has become a village tradition, however, and no one suggested it shouldn't take place.

"Summer Celebration is very dear to my heart," Williams said. "We started it years ago so it won't go away."