Hoffman eyes Sister Hazel for festival

Hoffman Estates officials wanted a nationally recognized musical act to play at its Fourth of July festival to help celebrate the village's 50th anniversary.

With that in mind, the village board on Monday gave preliminary approval to spend up to $30,000 to hire alternative rock band Sister Hazel to play a 75-minute set with an encore on Friday, July 3.

Though the board unanimously approved the expenditure - which was already part of the 2009 budget - they seemed unfamiliar with the Gainesville, Fla., band's work.

"Are they Chicago?" asked Trustee Cary Collins.

Village Manager James Norris tried to clarify, explaining the band doesn't play heavy metal or hard rock.

"They're not really pop either, though," Norris added.

The volunteer Fourth of July commission members helped select the band.

"The younger commissioners of the Fourth of July know who she is," said Trustee Jackie Green.

Anyone who attended college in the late 1990s probably are familiar with their work.

"People much younger than us," Mayor William McLeod said.

Sister Hazel is a five-man band that got its name from a nun who ran a homeless shelter. Their 1997 single "All For You" is probably the band's biggest hit. They've been featured in movies including "10 Things I Hate About You," "Clay Pigeons" and "Bedazzled."

Usually, local bands play the village's Fourth of July Festival, which takes place outside Hoffman Estates' Village Hall. Those acts don't cost as much to book.

"They wanted to do something special because it would be our 50th anniversary," Trustee Karen Mills said. "But I'm thinking I don't know who they are."

Earlier this year, the village board agreed to shorten its Fourth of July fireworks display by two to three minutes instead of paying the fireworks vendor's higher asking price. A fireworks shortage in China caused the price increase after a series of factory explosions last summer in that country.

The village will again pay $15,000 for the display. The extra two or three minutes would have cost an additional $2,250.