Hoffman parks to help fund Northwest Fourth Fest
In the wake of Elgin and Hanover Park's withdrawal from the 2014 Northwest Fourth Fest at the Sears Centre Arena this July, the Hoffman Estates Park District is stepping up with a cosponsorship of $5,000 in cash and $2,000 in personnel time.
Hoffman Estates Mayor Bill McLeod expressed gratefulness Wednesday for the recent decision by the park district board, saying the staffing help is especially welcome in the absence of Elgin and Hanover Park.
McLeod said he hopes the festival will continue to develop as a more regionally-supported event even without Elgin and Hanover Park taking part.
“This is an event driven by Hoffman Estates,” McLeod said. “The park district has stepped up. It was very much appreciated. It's a community event and we want it to grow.”
Hoffman Estates Park District President Keith Evans agreed with the mayor's long-range plans.
“We're happy to help this time and hopefully it will spread out next time,” Evans said.
Though both the village and park district serve generally the same taxpayer base, Evans said the money they are providing Northwest Fourth Fest doesn't all come from local property taxes. The village has a wider range of revenue sources including sales tax and others monies received from nonresidents, while two-thirds of the park district's revenues come from user fees, he added.
This year's festival also has retained the participation of Hanover Township, which will contribute $10,000 toward the $35,000 cost of fireworks. The total cost of the four-day festival has been budgeted at $219,730.
Last year, Hanover Park contributed $10,000 in cash plus about $12,000 in staff and equipment. Elgin contributed $15,000 in cash with about $5,000 in personnel time.
Corporate sponsorships and other revenues generated by the event also contribute toward the overall cost. Last year, the village's hiring of marketing firm Front Row Marketing resulted in approximately $35,000 in sponsorships, though the firm took a 20 percent commission from that.
The headline musical act of the fest is the popular rock band Smash Mouth, performing on Saturday, July 5. The band's contract is taking $35,000 from the entire festival's $50,000 budget for main stage entertainment.