Pride parade, Juneteenth festival planned in Elgin; iFest, Fox Trot on chopping block
This story has been updated to correct a name.
Community members are organizing two events in June in Elgin: the city's first LGBTQ+ pride parade and festival, and a Juneteenth festival, which last took place about a decade ago.
Meanwhile, city council members confirmed the city is planning to cut four events this year: International Festival, or iFest; the Elgin Valley Fox Trot; the Elgin Civil War Experience; and Art & Soul on the Fox. It's unclear whether new city events will be added this year and whether the cuts are permanent.
City spokeswoman Molly Gillespie declined to answer questions, saying a plan will be presented by staff members to the city council in February.
The city has held 20 events per year, including the Daddy Daughter Dance, Summer Movies in the Park, Nightmare on Chicago Street and the Veterans Day ceremony. The four events being cut were described as "underperforming" by city staff members in November and would save an estimated $100,000 out of a $595,000 total expense.
Council members Rose Martinez and Tish Powell said they support not having the four events this year.
Bad weather has plagued iFest and the Civil War re-enactment, Martinez said. "The Fox Trot, that one is a tough one because there are people that look forward to it. But around here we are being saturated with that. Everybody is doing a run for something."
Powell said she understands some people will be disappointed. "Once you explain to them we're using this as a rebuilding year, it's easier. We're not saying it's never coming back ... but unless you're making a strong effort to change it up and keep it fresh, it can get pretty stale over time."
Pride parade, festival
The pride parade and festival will take place June 6, followed by a community interfaith service and lunch on June 7, co-organizer Danise Habun said. Locations haven't been determined. There are also plans for a movie screening, possibly at the library, and dancing at Medusa's club in downtown Elgin, she said.
The event "truly reflects grass-roots planning," Habun said.
It started when resident Kayla Bates posted on Facebook wondering why Aurora and Chicago had pride parades and Elgin didn't, Habun said. About 25 people showed up at the first planning meeting in the fall.
"The majority were members of the LGBTQ community and very few of them knew one another. It was most amazing."
The city is not sponsoring the event, but it has support from the cultural arts and human relations commissions, Habun said. The Elgin Police Department, which has an LGBTQ liaison officer, is involved in planning, she said.
A fundraiser with a variety/drag show will take place March 7 at Martini Room, 161 E. Chicago St. in downtown Elgin. Visit elginpride.com or facebook.com/ELGbtq.
Juneteenth festival
The festival is being organized by the African American Coalition of Kane County, which was established in 2004 and was revived recently, said group President Shirley Bassett. The plan is to hold the festival June 13 with food, music, dance and art at Festival Park, provided the city approves the permits, she said.
Juneteenth, short for June 19, commemorates June 19, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, effectively ending slavery.
"We want to continue to bring big awareness to the African culture and maybe get the community to understand why we do what we do with music, dance and a lot of different things," Bassett said. "We want to try to educate some people, besides ourselves. We need to get our younger generation as well."
Elgin's cultural arts commission is co-sponsoring the event with a $5,000 or so contribution, said Powell, who is helping with organizing. The city used to co-sponsor several festivals, including Juneteenth and Fiesta Salsa, until about a decade ago. Then, community groups found themselves unable to continue holding the events, Powell said.
"Juneteenth is something that people in the community have said, 'You know what, we should bring that back,'" she said.
"I don't think many people know the history of Juneteenth or what it stands for."