Northwest suburban festivals get soaked on Saturday

Summer festivals live or die by the weather.

When it's 85 degrees and sunny, that's a good thing. But when it rains, people stick to their neighborhood parties and catch the fireworks from their own front lawns.

The Palatine Jaycees' 52nd annual five-day festival drew about 50,000 - the same as last year, volunteer Bill Pohlman said. But like other towns, rain put a damper on Saturday's activities.

"Saturday after the parade you would have thought we were in a ghost town," Pohlman said. "Then evening rolled around and the place was packed."

Barrington's Fourth of July festival typically draws between 2,200 and 2,500 on the Fourth of July. On Saturday light rain fell before and after the parade, so only about 1,600 people showed up, said Brian Cecola, a festival volunteer.

"It was less than normal, but the die-hards came back," he said.

While the Barrington food and beverages sales aren't final, they generally even each other out no matter the weather, Cecola said.

"When it's hot out, people drink more," he said. "When it's cold out, they eat more."

The crowds were good for the five-day Frontier Days in Arlington Heights, but the committee won't know if it made money until all the bills are in, said Jeani Cunningham, co-chairman.

It rained much of the day Saturday, the Fourth of July, but the Fourth is always slow for Frontier Days, she said.

Crowds didn't mob the Hoffman Estates festival like they did in years past, said Dan O'Malley, the village's deputy manager.

"Overall it was a good week. It would've been much better on Saturday if it didn't rain for six hours," he said.

In Bartlett, attendance was up every day of its four-day festival except Saturday because of the rain. That evening, the beer and food tents, carnival area and band stages had normal capacity, but fewer families were out at Apple Orchard Park to watch fireworks, said Tom Arends, supervisor of Wayne Township and chairman of Bartlett's Fourth of July Committee.

Arends projects total revenue to be down slightly from last year.

Attendance at the Mount Prospect Lions Club Festival was down about 20 percent on Saturday but during the five-day festival as a whole attendance was up, said Ron Habel, president of the Lions Club.

"I think a lot of people didn't go out of town this year," he said. "People are looking for value and that's what a neighborhood festival like ours is."

• Daily Herald staff writers Kim Pohl, Deborah Donovan and Christopher Placek contributed to this article.