The Taste of Lombard finds a way

Last month, it looked like the Taste of Lombard, one of the suburbs' biggest Fourth of July festivals, was dead, another victim of recessionary cutbacks. The village board said that with revenues down, it couldn't afford to underwrite it and the Fourth of July fireworks show anymore.

And then something magical happened.

The community rallied behind it. People didn't want to part with it. And in large numbers, they got involved.

Organizers collected nearly 3,000 signatures in support of the festival. A Facebook group dedicated to saving the Taste grew to more than 4,300 people almost overnight. And the Lombard Jaycees, longtime sponsors of the 28-year-old event, rolled up their sleeves to figure out how to save it.

Last week, working with the village and the park district, they succeeded.

The solution isn't just good news for Lombard. It should serve as creative inspiration to other suburbs' grappling with the same kind of challenges.

Under the agreement approved by the Lombard trustees, the village will provide $55,000 to cover festival expenses, but that money will be reimbursed through proceeds from a new gate fee that will charge attendees age 13 and older $2 for admittance to the festival.

The village also will contribute $30,000 for the fireworks show and provide $28,000 worth of police and fire coverage for an $8,000 charge to the Jaycees.

The Jaycees hope that gate fee provides enough additional revenue for the 2011 Taste that the festival can become self-sustaining. Given the widespread public interest shown, there's a lot of reason to be optimistic about that.

These have been rough times for community festivals. Many were eliminated or sharply reduced last summer as the recession hit home. And the trend has continued this year. Last month, for instance, Bloomingdale canceled its annual Family Festival because of budget constraints.

Even the mighty city of Chicago has been affected. Not only has it canceled its extraordinary Venetian Night affair, but this year it will replace the mammoth July 3 fireworks extravaganza on the lakefront with three smaller fireworks shows on July 4.

Those cuts are sad things for any community, and in saying that we recognize they are not the only sad cuts taking place in these times. Some have suggested that continuing festivals at a time when layoffs and other budget cuts are taking place is a case of misplaced priorities.

But we argue that festivals aren't just entertainment. They are part of the way a town identifies itself, one of the things that makes a place special. They bond neighbors and bring a community together.

And that's why we welcome solutions that keep the festivals going - especially creative solutions like the one Lombard has developed.