Fall arrives in Bloomingdale with Septemberfest
Together, they can track a missing person or detect hidden narcotics.
And when Bloomingdale police officer Levi McGhee finds himself in a threatening situation, Kane the German shepherd will come to his rescue.
“He and the dog are a team. They train together quite frequently,” Sgt. Bruce Mason said.
Kane is also McGhee's family pet when he's not on duty.
McGhee and Kane will take center stage at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, at Bloomingdale's annual Septemberfest celebration in Old Town Park, 111 Third St.
The presentation will include an overview of police dog training and police activities involving the unit, along with demonstrations.
“It's really a crowd favorite, especially among the children,” Mason said.
The daylong Septemberfest celebration, a last hurrah for summer, includes music, food, a parade, a craft show, a car show and scholarship presentations.
Unlike in years past, there will be no carnival rides and games this year, said Vivi Frumkin, chairwoman of the village's Septemberfest Commission.
Kane's appearance follows the Septemberfest parade that steps off at 11 a.m. from DuJardin Elementary School on Euclid Avenue, marches north to Schick Road, and goes west to end at Old Town Park on Third Street.
“The parade is really the beginning of Septemberfest,” Frumkin said.
Frumkin said two new Medinah Shriner units, including the Medinah Black Horse Troop, will join the parade this year.
After the parade, at 12:15 p.m., recipients of the 2018 Joe Draghi Scholarship will be announced.
“The whole thing about Septemberfest is about giving out scholarships,” Frumkin said.
Four Bloomingdale high school graduates will each receive $1,000 toward their continued education, funded through local business and individual donors.
A variety of food vendors will be on- site, along with a Bloomingdale Lions Club beer tent and a selection of craft dealers, Frumkin said.
From 12:30 to 4 p.m., owners of about 100 cars, from antique roadsters to late model cars, will compete for bragging rights and trophies in a car show staged in a lot near 122 W. Lake St. The entry fee for the show, which can be paid on show day, is $5 per vehicle. Proceeds benefit the Draghi scholarship fund.
“There will be a people's choice and a car owner's choice award,” Frumkin said. There's also a Marilyn Zaccardi trophy, named in honor of the late Septemberfest Car Show founder, Frumkin said.
After performances by the Park District Beamers, a tumbling performance group, the Center Stage Dancers and the Bloomingdale School of Music, the Hillbilly Rockstarz will serve up country music from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m., followed by an 8 to 10 p.m. show featuring Wedding Banned, a cover band that claims on its website to start the show with a couple getting married on stage.