Mount Prospect plans DeWyze watch party
Local residents are invited to share in the pleasure or the pain of this week's "American Idol" finale, as local hopeful Lee DeWyze learns his fate.
A Watch Party - "Lee on the Green" - is set to take place on the Village Green right next to village hall on Busse Avenue between Main and Emerson streets. It will begin at 5 p.m. and last until 10 p.m.
Partygoers attending can watch the show, scheduled to air from 7 to 9 p.m. on a jumbotron television. Before the program, they can watch a montage of their local hero's past performances, as well as video from his visit to his hometown on May 14.
"We're going to look at it like kind of a five-hour block party," said Mount Prospect Village Manager Michael Janonis.
Janonis said there will be several vendors, including Capannari's, Bogie's Ale House, Blues Bar and Continental Bakery.
Parking will be available in the parking deck directly adjacent to village hall. The Village Green is one block north of the Mount Prospect Metra stop. Fans coming from outside the area are encouraged to use Metra. Portions of Busse Avenue and Emerson Street will be closed starting at 1 p.m.
Maura El Metennani, the village's public information officer, said some tables and chairs set up in the street in anticipation of some spillover of the crowd onto the street.
In addition, the Fox network will likely have a representative on hand to broadcast the local reaction.
"Probably the local affiliate will be there with a camera," Janonis said.
With DeWyze on the brink of capturing the ultimate prize, Mount Prospect is brimming with civic pride.
"We are so proud of Lee," said Mount Prospect Mayor Irvana Wilks in a public statement. "After the overwhelming welcome Mount Prospect gave Lee last Friday, we are excited to show our community support for him once again as he reaches this pinnacle of his career. The entire Chicago area is rooting for Lee to be the next American Idol!"
Among those who have been caught up in the excitement are local officials, like village Trustee Arlene Juracek.
"It's kind of fun when you see somebody who could be your son or your son's classmate doing well," Juracek said. "He seems like a really nice kid, very talented. If he didn't have talent, I don't think people would be as much behind him, but he's really talented too."
And in a village proud of its reputation as a place where "friendliness is a way of life," it helps that DeWyze carries himself as a regular guy.
"You really want to see the good guys win, and he seems to be a really good guy," Juracek said.
The village is well prepared for the event. It knows the drill from previous events and festivals held downtown, including the downtown block party and the blues festival, El Metennani said.
The jumbotron will stand on the site usually reserved for the stage for performances during local festivals. She added that a small stage will be set up for interviews conducted on site for the show. She said the village will be participating in a conference call with the producer tomorrow to discuss logistics.
Finch and Associates is providing the jumbotron. It is the same company that worked with Arlington Park for the May 14 event at the track.