Rotaryfest opens Wednesday in Elk Grove Village
The 2013 Rotaryfest will feature lots of great food, carnival rides from Fantasy Amusement Co. and live entertainment by bands including 7th Heaven, CoverGurl, The Lounge Puppets, Serendipity, In Session and ARRA from June 12 to 16.
The RotaryFest Hometown Parade will be at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 15, from Elk Grove Boulevard at Tonne Road to the festival grounds in Lions Park. The parade theme is “Sports on the Boulevard.” The parade will be followed by fireworks at dusk.
The festival also will include a raffle for a hockey stick signed by the players of The Chicago Blackhawks and a split-the-pot raffle with a minimum prize of $1,000. Proceeds support charitable activities by the Elk Grove Rotary Club.
To kick off the festival, which opens Wednesday, June 12, the Rotary Club of Elk Grove Village has booked what it describes as the area’s No. 1 festival band, 7th Heaven. The band, which formed 26 years ago and plays at 250 shows a year, will perform from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The band has sold more than 30,000 records. Lead singer Anthony Federov was in the final four on the 2005 “American Idol” television show.
On Thursday, the opening entertainment will be provided by Sugar High, playing from 6:45 to 8:15 p.m. Sugar High will perform hits by Lady Gaga, The Jackson 5, Katy Perry, Prince, AC/DC, Aretha Franklin, Usher, the B-52s, Ke$ha and others.
From 9 to 10:30 p.m., The Modern Day Romeos will perform classic rock jams, '80s favorites, '90s gems, and top pop, dance and rock tunes of the 2000s. They alter most of the songs to conform to their own style, and add comedy and medleys to make favorite songs sound fresh.
On Friday, CoverGurl will perform from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. CoverGurl performs party rock, classic rock, current rock and pop/dance hits, covering songs by Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Blink 182, Tom Petty, Jet, Lady Gaga, Green Day, No Doubt, Jane’s Addiction, Weezer and other groups.
Kashmir: The Led Zeppelin Show will play from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. Kashmir seeks to re-create the mindset of a '70s Led Zeppelin performance utilizing authentic vintage stage gear, costumes, and special effects. Kashmir performs the band’s entire catalog.
On Saturday, the carnival runs from 2 p.m. to midnight. At dusk, there will be a fireworks show.
Flyte will perform from 5 to 7 p.m. Formed at Elk Grove High School in the 1970s, the six-piece band plays classic rock, covering songs from Bruce Springsteen, Cheap Trick, Steely Dan, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
Your Villain My Hero will perform from 7:45 to 9:15 p.m. The group combines top 40 pop, club, and dance music with a high-energy stage show. Lead vocalists Jennifer and Zigg share an electric chemistry. Their set list includes hits by Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, Pink, Outkast and others.
The Lounge Puppets will perform its tribute to 1980s hair bands from 10 to 11:30 p.m. Hear covers of songs by Whitesnake, Skid Row, Twisted Sister, Quiet Riot, Ratt, Tesla, Cinderella, Winger, Warrant, Firehouse, Slaughter, and Motley Crüe.
On Sunday, Serendipity, a girl band forged from the El Rey Music scene in Arlington Heights, performs covers of pop and rock songs from 3 to 4:15 p.m.
In Session performs from 5 to 6:15 p.m. The group plays diverse sets of rock, pop and country music and is fronted by vocalist Kim Leffew.
ARRA performs from 7 to 9 p.m. Voted best suburban classic rock cover band 6 years straight, Arra covers the hits of Journey, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Boston and other groups.
If you go
What: 2013 Rotaryfest
Where: Lions Park, 200 Rev. Morrison Blvd., Elk Grove Village
When: June 12 to June 16
Carnival hours: 6 to 11 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 6 p.m. to midnight Friday; 2 p.m. to midnight Saturday; 2 to 10:30 p.m. Sunday
Hometown Parade: 6 p.m. Saturday, June 15, from Elk Grove Boulevard at Tonne Road to Lions Park
Fireworks: Dusk Saturday
Admission: Free
Information:(847) 439-3900