Palatine Jaycees to host Hometown Fest
The Palatine Jaycees are looking for community residents who want to participate in this year’s July Fourth celebration, which will run Friday, June 29, to Wednesday, July 4, at Community Park on Palatine Road and Northwest Highway.
“This is a community event. We want everyone to come out and get involved with Hometown Fest,” said Jennifer Iannuzzelli, co-chair of the festival. “We have added a new event and brought back some exciting activities that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. We want everyone to know about them in advance so that they can get involved in time for the fest.”
The Jaycees are adding a new event to the festival this year. From noon-2 p.m. Sunday, July 1, the Jaycees are trying to set a new world record for the most people playing a hand-held video game at one time, at one location.
Everyone wishing to participate is asked to bring their own video game to the park at noon. There is a $2 fee for participation. All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life.
Monday, July 2, is the annual Special Needs Carnival, newly named The Kathleen A. Blanck Memorial Carnival for Individuals with Special Needs. This is a private carnival solely dedicated to members of the community with special needs. Individuals with mental or physical disabilities and their immediate families are invited. The Special Needs Carnival runs from 3-4:30 p.m. Individuals wishing to participate need to be at the carnival at 2:30 p.m. to register.
The Jaycees are still accepting applications to participate in the Arts and Crafts Fair/Business and Charity Expo Saturday, June 30, and Sunday, July 1. There are a limited number of booths available. Exhibitors will be assigned a 12-by-12 foot space on a first-come, first-served basis.
An Arts & Craft booth will cost $65 for both days, while Business Expo booths are $150. Charity Expo booths cost $30 for the two days. For an application, visit www.hometownfest.org.
For carnival ride lovers, the Jaycees will once again be selling Mega Passes that are good for all rides at any time that the carnival is in operation. The Jaycees will be selling the passes for $70 from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, June 23, and 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 27, at the park district building, 200 E. Wood St.
Individuals will be given a certificate that can be redeemed for a Mega Pass at Hometown Fest. If you are unable to make the presales dates, passes will be available at the fest for $80.
At the same time Mega Passes are being sold, the Jaycees will be selling tickets for the Best Seat in the House Raffle. Tickets are $5 each and will be available at the fest as well. If an individual participates in the Life Source Blood Drive from noon-7 p.m. Sunday, July 1, they will receive a free raffle ticket and two beverage tickets.
Ticket sales will end at 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 3, the night of fireworks, and the drawing will be at 4:15 p.m. The winner must be present to win.
The individual who wins will have a VIP area from 5 p.m. to midnight for the fireworks. From 7-9 p.m., the winner will receive a beverage package, pizza, as well as some other Hometown Fest goodies.
“One of the highlights of each year’s Hometown Fest is the fireworks display, which will be held Tuesday, July 3,” said Jackie Butler, co-chair of the festival. “As in the past, the Palatine Jaycees have been fortunate enough to provide the town of Palatine with this show through all the fundraising done by our volunteers.
“If you would like to help with this year’s show, you can look for volunteer Jaycees wearing Hometown Fest shirts around the fest collecting donations, or you can simply send a check, payable to the Palatine Jaycees, to P.O. Box 1517, Palatine, IL 60078-1517.
“Brought back by popular demand is the Hometown Toss, also known as Baggo or Corn Hole,” said Paul Castle, co-chair of the festival.
Teams can preregister at www.hometownfest.org to guarantee a spot in the competition, which will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 1, on the fest grounds. The tournament costs $20 for a two-person team. On-site registration and warm-ups start at 1 p.m. Prizes will be awarded.
The Palatine Chapter of the Jaycees is one of the nearly 100 local chapters throughout the state and one of the largest chapters in Illinois. The Jaycees provide individuals between the age of 21-39 the opportunity to develop personal and leadership skills while serving their community.
The Palatine Chapter holds its monthly general meeting the third Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the American Legion Hall on Palatine Road, Palatine.
For information on the Palatine Jaycees, membership or any of their sponsored events, write to the Palatine Jaycees, P.O. Box 1517, Palatine, IL 60078-1517; call (847) 604-0288; email info@palatinejaycees.org or visit www.palatinejaycees.org.
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