Carpentersville music festival ready to rock

Carpentersville resident Franz Schumacher says his hometown needs a little pick-me-up.

Schumacher, who is the president of Sargon Productions, will use his technical know-how to throw an event that he says the village has never seen.

Sargon Productions, in conjunction with NASA Education Corp., is putting on the Carpentersville Music Festival, which will feature 17 bands, more than a dozen food vendors and a beer garden on Saturday, Aug. 29, and Sunday, Aug. 30, in Carpenter Park.

The festival is free and is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Live music begins at noon each day. The park is at Lord Avenue and Maple Street in the village's Old Town section.

"We are the only town that doesn't have a festival," Schumacher said. "This town needs cheering up, and this will be bigger than everything in the past."

Those past events include Jamboree Days, which ended an 18-year run in 1999.

Forget 1999, think 2009.

The lineup includes a "hodgepodge" of music that ranges from Latino to acoustic, from the 1950s to now, Schumacher said.

Fifteen-foot-tall Jumbotron screens will show the performances throughout the park, while plasma televisions will keep beer garden patrons entertained without leaving the tent.

Carpentersville-based Sargon specializes in event production for corporate meetings to trade shows. Schumacher said the music festival is the company's first foray into festivals.

"We are setting the standards for putting on a festival in this town," Schumacher said. "We have the capability of throwing a well-run, well-produced event. It is going to be such a great thing for everyone - the businesses and residents."

Village President Ed Ritter said the festival is an opportunity for Carpentersville to resurrect its reputation.

"This village really is a different place than it was three or four years ago and we need to celebrate that," Ritter said. We need to bring in people from other towns so they can see how our village is growing and changing."

If the festival is a success, Ritter said, the village would consider bringing back a festival of yesteryear: Jamboree Days.