Mount Prospect expands events, aims to draw more crowds downtown

Mount Prospect leaders are expanding some of the village's summer entertainment options this year in an effort to draw more attention (and people) to the downtown area.

The annual Midsummer Downtown Block Party will now take place over two days instead of just one. And the "Fridays on the Green" concerts will be held twice a month instead of once.

"We've had good responses to both of those in the past," Mount Prospect village spokeswoman Maura El Metennani said. "So we thought, why not expand them and make them even better?"

Local business owners hope the expanded events will strengthen connections between residents and the downtown business community.

"These are popular events, and every time you bring people to the downtown you increase the chance that they'll return to patronize the businesses," said Roberta Hamann, owner of Byte Me! Computers on Northwest Highway and president of the Mount Prospect Downtown Merchants Association.

The Downtown Block Party has previously been a daylong Saturday event featuring food and beverage vendors, activities for children and live bands. The formula for this year will remain the same, though the fun will begin on Friday evening, and Saturday's hours will be expanded. The Block Party will take place July 27-28 at the intersection of Emerson Street and Busse Avenue. Entertainment lineups are still being finalized.

The popular Fridays on the Green concerts - a joint effort by the village, the merchants association and the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce - will be held on the first and third Fridays of the month, June through September, on the green outside the village hall building, 50 S. Emerson St. Bands scheduled to appear include Ken Dix & the Friday Night Lawn Jockeys (June 1), Diving for Dynamite (June 15) and Suburban Cowboys (July 6).

In addition to those, other activities scheduled to be held downtown this summer include weekly car shows put on by the merchants association and the popular farmers market put on by the Mount Prospect Lions Club. For more information, check the village's website at mountprospect.org and the merchants association website at downtownmountprospect.com.

Capannari Ice Cream store, a popular downtown destination, will host a variety of activities, as well, including outdoor movie screenings and concerts. Go to capannaris.com for information.