Beat goes on at inaugural music fest in Carpenersville

There was live music, good food, flowing beer, nice weather, free parking and wide-open spaces at day one of the inaugural Old Town Carpentersville Music Festival Saturday.

All that was missing were the crowds.

Though attendance early Saturday afternoon was sparse, organizers are hopeful the event will pick up.

"The crowd is growing steadily," said PJ McQuillan, co-owner of Sargon Productions, the Carpentersville company hosting the event. "We are anticipating a nice night and a good day on Sunday."

But some festival goers said they appreciated the smaller crowds.

"It is a pretty good thing here. It's not as crowded as you would expect, which is nice," said Todd Rader, of Elgin, who was enjoying the festival with his two children Brianna Garcia, 8, and Tyler Garcia, 5. "It is a great place to be for the last weekend of the summer, basically."

The festival, which continues today in Carpenter Park, features dozens of local bands from blues to Latino. A kids zone will keep the younger crowd entertained with games and a climbing wall.

A car show opens the festival at 10 a.m. Sunday, while bands take the stage from noon on.

Valerie Hellyer, of East Dundee, said the festival was the ideal place to entertain the grandchildren.

"We are excited that there is a festival so close to home," said Hellyer who had set up lawn chairs and picnic blanket in front of the main stage with her husband, Rich Hellyer, and their three grandsons. "This is a great place to bring the kids to run around and enjoy themselves."

And the grown-ups weren't having a bad time themselves, Hellyer said. "We are having a great time," Hellyer said. "We love the local festivals and we hope they do this every year."