Painted chairs, classic cars on display in downtown Naperville

Hundreds of people converged on downtown Naperville Saturday morning to check out an eclectic mix of classic cars, take a seat on the village's newest sculptures, and even get an up-close look at the sun.

Although the first day of summer isn't officially until Monday, it certainly felt like it along Jackson Avenue during the second annual downtown Naperville classic car show. People wearing sunscreen and sunglasses strolled up and down the street to get a close look at the cars, trucks and tractors, while others set up portable chairs in the shade along the Riverwalk to take it all in.

Attorney Barry Greenberg was there with his 1968 Cadillac Eldorado, which his father bought at auction in 1971.

"He passed away in 1995 and he hadn't driven it in 20 years," Greenberg said. "When I got it, I ended up taking 1975 plates off the car."

That period of disuse was not evident on the car, which, like those around it, shone in the sun.

Katie Wood, executive director of the Downtown Naperville Alliance, said as nice as it was to see the cars parked along Jackson during the show, it was a treat to watch as they were driven into position by their owners early in the morning.

Wood saw the setup because she was out at 5 a.m. installing the 18 new sculptures around the central business district. While the sculptures have been gingerbread men, trains or cars in previous years, this year's exhibit is painted bucket chairs, shaped like hollowed-out balls and either smooth or dimpled like a golf ball.

Greenberg, who sponsored one of the sculptures this year through his law firm, said he elected to go with the dimpled option.

"I like to think that I can play golf, so I made it a golf ball," Greenberg said. "And the artist made it look like pebble beach."

Other sculptures now on display include one resembling a Death Star from Star Wars and a nighttime scene in the style of Vincent Van Gogh.

Visitors can vote for their favorite sculpture at downtownnaperville.com, though the online poll had not begun on Saturday.

Jim Hopkins of the Naperville Astronomy Association was also by the river, letting people get a close-up view of the sun through a large telescope outfitted with a special lens.

"The filter takes out all but one-thousandth of one percent of the sun's light," Hopkins said.

Hopkins said the association will set up their equipment during riverwalk nights and on some days as well, as long as the forecast is decent. Hopkins said they usually have 6, 7, or 8 telescopes, but with the classic cars taking up the parking along Jackson, unloading the equipment was a challenge.

"I parked across the bridge and made seven trips to haul this here this morning," Hopkins said.

To see when the Naperville Astronomy Association is going to be at the Riverwalk next, check their website at stargazing.net/naa.