Mundelein Community Days offers a little something for all ages
Mundelein Community Days begins Monday, June 29 and continues through Sunday, July 5. This year's event celebrates the village's 100th anniversary. Assistant Village Manager Michael Flynn tells us what you need to know about the event.
Q. What makes this such a fabulous event?
A. Lots of diverse activities that promote community spirit and family fun. Hundreds of volunteers are involved in organizing a wide variety of contests and events like the Watermelon Eating Contest (LMV Kiwanis Club); Arts and Crafts Fair (Jaycees); Pancake Breakfast and Fire Truck Rides (Mundelein Fire Association); Bingo (Santa Maria del Popolo Parish); Bags Tournament, 5K Race, Dance Demonstration (Mundelein Park District); Classic Car Show (On-the-Road Classics); Fort Hill Historical Society (Patriotic Celebration); Carnival (American Legion Post 867); Celebrity Volleyball (Mundelein Community Bank); Wing Eating Contest (Frank's for the Memories Restaurant); Horseshoe Tournament, beauty pageants, pet parade; chalk art contest, Guitar Hero competition.
Plus we have a great parade, on July 5 at 2 p.m., this year featuring the Great Lakes Naval Center Band; a terrific fireworks display on July 4; lots of music; 14 local restaurants; free face painting, a magician, pony rides, a petting zoo; and we provide an opportunity for local youth bands to perform on the main stage.
You can't beat Mundelein Community Days for variety and fun on a tight budget.
Q. How long has this event been in existence? How has it changed, and what is new this year?
A. Mundelein Community Days has been around for 50 years, but it has been more or less in its current format (with food, beer and music) for about 25 years.
Q. What's the highlight of the event?
A. I would say the fireworks are the highlight, followed closely by the parade.
Q. What kind of activities will appeal to kids and families?
A. There is something for kids of all ages. The biggest kids attraction is the carnival, but other big hits are the petting zoo, pony rides, face painting, fire truck rides, watermelon eating contest and magician for the younger kids; and the Guitar Hero Contest, beauty pageants, sidewalk chalk art contest, youth band performances, races and bags tournament appeal to the older kids.
Q. What about adults? What does the event offer them?
A. Great food, excellent music, lots of free events and a comfortable outdoor atmosphere to visit with friends and neighbors. Especially popular with certain adults are bingo, the pancake breakfast, arts and crafts fair, the patriotic celebration and the horseshoe tournament.
Q. What kinds of food and beverages will be for sale?
A. There are 14 restaurants serving food including pizza, BBQ, ice cream, gyros, Mexican, Korean, hot dogs, hamburgers, and much, much more.
There is also a beer garden, and this year, for the first time, fine wine provided by DiCarlo's Armanetti of Mundelein.
Q. Tell us about the volunteers and organizers who pull this together.
A. Mundelein Days is a village-sponsored community celebration. It is organized by the Mundelein Days Commission, volunteers appointed by the mayor and village board. The primary subcommittee is the Pageant Committee that organizes the three beauty pageants: Miss Mundelein, Junior Miss and Little Miss. The carnival is organized by the American Legion Post 867. Other subcommittees organize specific events and provide all the volunteers as mentioned above. Santa Maria Parish does bingo; Mundelein Fire Association does fire truck rides and puts on the pancake breakfast; the park district organizes three races, plus the bags tournament; Northside Community Bank organizes the celebrity volleyball; On-the-Road Classics car club organizes the car show; Franks for the Memories restaurant runs the wing-eating contest; the Libertyville/Mundelein/Vernon Hills Kiwanis run the watermelon eating contest; Mundelein Jaycees run the arts and crafts fair; and Fort Hill Historical Society put on the Patriotic Celebration. Other events are organized by interested volunteers. Trustee Terri Voss organizes the pet parade; John and Evelyn Diebold organize the horseshoe tournament. In addition, the fire department CERT team runs the first aid booth; the Mundelein Centennial Committee staffs the information booth, and the following businesses and nonprofit organizations run the beer booth: Century 21 Marketplace; Consumers Credit Union, Mundelein Community Bank; Mundelein Community Women's Club; Mundelein Lion's Club; Mundelein MainStreet; and Bank of America.
I am probably forgetting someone, but the point is that it takes a tremendous amount of volunteer support to make the festival run smoothly.
Q. How much does it cost to get in? If the admission costs benefit a charity, please tell us about that group.
A. There is no admission charge except for the beauty pageants. Everything else is free, with the exception of the carnival rides, food and beverages.
Q. Is there anything else we should know?
A. Just that Mundelein Community Days is the best small town summer celebration around and 2009 will be "The Best Ever." Also, this event would not be possible without the tireless efforts of the Mundelein Public Works Department and the Mundelein police and fire departments.
<p class="factboxheadblack">Mundelein Community Days</p> <p class="News"><b>When:</b> 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 29, Miss Mundelein Pageant; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 30, Junior Miss Mundelein Pageant; 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 1, Little Miss Mundelein Pageant; noon to 11 p.m. Thursday, July 2; 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, July 3; 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, July 4; 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday, July 5 </p> <p class="News"><b>Where:</b> Pageants at Mundelein High School; other events at Seymour and Courtland. </p> <p class="News"><b>Cost:</b> Admission to pageants is $4 for adults and $2 for children under 12; admission to fest is free; rides, food and beverages and some other activities are extra. </p> <p class="News"><b>More info:</b> Visit <a href="http://www.mundelein.org" target="new">mundelein.org</a></p>