Bartlett Summer Festival expands with added day, more local bands
How do festivals get started? In Bartlett, the Summer Festival has grown from a stop along the Pink Heals Tour to a full-fledged fest.
The free, two-day event, which is open 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11, in Bartlett Park, includes music, food trucks, craft beer and entertainment for the family. It even includes the third annual North Avenue Car Show, which is held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
“The Pink Heals Tour is composed of firefighters who volunteer their time to make stops in towns throughout the country to help raise money for each community,” said Nick McLeod, a firefighter with the Bartlett Fire District and president of Ignite the Courage, the organization that sponsors the festival. “We started by having the tour visit the station, doing a blood drive and selling pink T-shirts. We thought we could do better, so six years ago in 2013, we put together a small family fest in the Dominick's parking lot off Route 59 and called it Pink Heals Fest. Each year, we started obtaining more sponsors from throughout the community. This allowed us to grow and raise more money.
“We faced a couple of challenges during that time. The Pink Heals Tour had a schedule of stops, so we had to host the fest on whatever day they were rolling through town. Most of the time this was during the week on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Pink Heals became so popular that they had to alternate years for different regions of the country which left us without the Tour one year. Due to these challenges and being a Bartlett Fire District event, our options for growth were limited. The best way for us to grow and raise more money for the community was to form our own charity. In February 2017, we established Ignite the Courage. We then decided to rename our fest the Bartlett Summer Festival. So, this is the sixth year for the fest but the second as the Bartlett Summer Festival.”
The festival serves as a fundraiser for Ignite the Courage.
“Ignite the Courage ... does not focus on one disease, but rather any disease, illness or significant tragedy that an individual or family may face throughout their lives,” McLeod said. “The event requires around 30 volunteers working at a time and over 50 volunteering throughout the weekend.
This year, McLeod said, the festival has grown from a one-day event to two days.
“Last year the fest was only on Saturday. We have added an extra day and have extended the hours. This year's fest will be 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. We have added a craft show on Saturday; 23 of the vendors are selling their own homemade products. We have also expanded the car show from only one block last year to a total of three blocks this year.”
The festival is centered around what McLeod calls a “solid trifecta” of music, food and beer, with an emphasis on local music.
“We get our bands by searching throughout the area, going to local music establishments and finding bands that just love playing music,” he said. “We like to feature solid musicians who people won't hear at other area festivals. We have two bands on Friday night and four bands on Saturday. Each band is talented enough to be a headliner. Many of the bands are donating their performances or have given reduced rates. The headliner for Friday night is Brooke and the Nice Things. They are a throwback of sorts and lead singer Brooke Reams has one of best voices around, hands down. Saturday night's headliner is Ironhorse. They are a high-energy country band who utilize the whole stage for their act playing old school country along some of their own tunes.
Bring your appetite for food and drink, McLeod added.
“We have some of the best food trucks in Chicagoland featuring Cheesie's Truck, Aztec Dave's, Roaming Hog, Duke's Blues-n-BBQ along with local Bartlett favorite Dogfather Hotdogs with his hot dog cart. We'll also have two dessert trucks, A Sweets Girl and Grandma Rosie's Sweet Treats. To top it off, we are serving beer exclusively from Pollyanna Brewing Company. Pollyanna has a brewpub in Roselle called Roselare and their main brewery is located in Lemont. We'll have something for everyone ranging from their light beer, The Full Lemonty; raspberry wheat ale Summerly; American pale ale Mazzie and of course their flagship IPA, Lexical Gap. And for those who might not want beer, we'll also be serving Tito's Vodka and lemonade.”
Every year the festival committee tries to make improvements based on visitors' feedback, McLeod said.
“We have added an alternative to the food trucks geared toward families with kids. We're calling it the Snack Shack. We will be selling many popular kid snacks such as Goldfish, granola bars, fruit snacks, Go Gurts, Uncrustables and juice boxes. We will have many kid activities including face painting, crafts, inflatable slide, ponies and a petting zoo.
“There will also be a silent auction on Saturday including airline tickets, hotel accommodations in Cancun and many sports memorabilia items.
McLeod shared a few tips for anyone planning to attend the fest.
“We encourage people to bring a lawn chair or blanket, so they can relax comfortably and enjoy the music,” he said. “We also ask that everyone drink responsibly. Do not drink and drive. Assign a designated driver or arrange for a ride home. We will have $20 ride credits for first-time Uber users. Please see us at the beer tent to receive one.”
For details, visit ignitethecourage.org/festival/.
Bartlett Summer Festival
When: 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11
Where: Bartlett Park, 102 N. Eastern Ave., Bartlett
Admission: free
Details:
ignitethecourage.org/festival/
North Avenue Car Show
When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11
Where: Bartlett Park, 102 N. Eastern Ave., Bartlett
Admission: free for spectators
Details: All cars, trucks and motorcycles welcome. Registration 9 a.m. to noon. Awards at 2 p.m. Coffee and doughnuts available for early arrivals. Day-of-show registration, $25. More than 20 custom, handmade trophies.