Special events celebrate W. Chicago's multicultural roots
West Chicago, Illinois: August 29, 2011 – West Chicago celebrates its multi-cultural roots this fall with two special events. An Oktoberfest-style community dinner, planned for Friday, Sept. 9, 2011, will honor 27 guests from West Chicago's sister city, Tuafkirchen (Vils), Germany who arrive on Sept. 2, for a 10-day visit.
Twenty-one of the visitors are members of the renowned Schuhplattler dance group, Volkstracht-Erhaltungs-Verein d'Vilstaler Gebensbach e.V. They perform traditional Bavarian folk dances and dramatic plays in their Bavarian dialect. The group has existed for over 75 years. They have participated in Munich's Oktoberfest parade several times, and have been honored by their county (Erding) with a prize called “Kulturpreis des Landkreises Erding”. They are a very proud group committed to cultural preservation, and will be performing at Schnitzel Platz Restaurant in Glendale Heights on the evening of Saturday, Sept. 3.
The visit, which will also include a Kane County Cougars baseball game, two days of sightseeing in Chicago and a one day tour of local schools and government in West Chicago, is being organized by West Chicago Sister Cities. For more information about the community dinner or dance performance, visit www.westchicagosistercities.com or contact Melissa Birch at (630) 621-0128.
Later in the month, colorful dance performances, festive music, a car show to benefit the Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics, equestrian pageantry and fancy footwork demonstrated by soccer aficionados during a kids' soccer camp will be some of the highlights of West Chicago's Mexican Independence Day Parade and Celebration.
The event takes place on Sunday, Sept. 18, from noon to 9 p.m. and begins with a parade which steps off from Joliet Street and Augusta Avenue and makes its way over the newly designated A. Eugene Rennels Bridge (formerly the Wilson Street Bridge) into downtown West Chicago. A special exhibit focusing on Mexican history will be installed in the Fox Community Center at 306 Main St., where people can also stop in to Meet the Chief, newly appointed Police Chief Laz Perez, from 2 to 4 p.m.
As a special way of giving back to the community, West Chicago's La Chicanita Bakery will be donating an enormous celebration cake that will be served to those attending. Mayor Mike Kwasman is set to cut the first slice.
For more information on West Chicago's Mexican Independence Day Parade and Celebration, contact Valeria Lopez at (630) 293-2200, ext. 170.