Festival to open with a throwback to Cream of Wheaton
If you refuse to utter the words Willis Tower or Guaranteed Rate Field, you will understand why folks in Wheaton have a fondness for calling their first festival of the summer by its long-retired name.
No matter the official moniker, the Cream of Wheaton will always be the Cream of Wheaton.
Organizers shed the beloved name nine years ago when Wheaton Park District and Wheaton Chamber of Commerce combined their respective festivals - Cream of Wheaton and Autumnfest - into one summer kickoff celebration dubbed the Taste of Wheaton.
But in the spirit of a decidedly more modern social media phenomenon - #ThrowbackThursday - the chamber and park district have agreed to turn back the clock when the festival opens Thursday afternoon for its four-day run in downtown Wheaton.
The first 500 fest-goers in the 21 and older crowd will receive a commemorative Cream of Wheaton Koozie. Cream of Wheaton T-shirts worn by volunteers also will be available for sale for $15 Thursday. And the evening's entertainment headliners will perform hits from the 1980s, when the Cream of Wheaton was in its heyday.
"We get requests all the time to bring the name back," said Kerry O'Brien, the chamber's executive director. "We're just trying to have some fun with it because there's definitely some interest there."
City Councilman Todd Scalzo has been among those urging organizers to resurrect the Cream of Wheaton title. He's "thrilled" with the throwback concept.
"I hope that it goes over so well this year that they'll change back the name entirely," Scalzo said. "But I guess one step at a time."
And with all that reminiscing going on, organizers haven't made any significant changes. This year's Taste will return to Memorial Park with the usual staples: carnival rides, live music, cold beer and food from Wheaton restaurants.
To make use of the Cream of Wheaton Koozie, sample domestic and craft suds at the fest's beer garden.
A food vendor row near the park's northeast side at Union and Wheaton avenues will highlight offerings from Choun's, an American-Thai restaurant, Gino's East Pizza, Graham's Fine Chocolates, Nothing Bundt Cakes and Ivy Restaurant.
On Saturday, the Cosley Zoo Run for the Animals will step off with 5K and 10K races at 7:30 a.m. east of Memorial Park on Main Street. The fundraiser for the park district's zoo also includes a half-mile "Zippity Zoo" version at 8:45 a.m. for young runners ages 5 to 10.
More than 2,000 people typically participate in the races that wind through downtown, said Nicole Kapala, the park district's marketing and special events coordinator.
Saturday's festival lineup features kid's activities - face painting, airbrush tattoos, magic tricks and a Touch a Truck event - along Hale Street.
Saturday also is traditionally the busiest day of the festival, and with that in mind, volunteers from the Wheaton bicycle advisory committee are inviting visitors to use free valet bike parking between 6:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. and skip the hassle of finding parking downtown.
Each bicyclist will get a numbered ticket at Karlskoga and Wheaton avenues.
And for those who may be not familiar with the Cream of Wheaton lore, O'Brien said the festival has a "very friendly hometown feel."
"There's just nothing like the park setting, and there's a little something for everyone," she said.
If you go
What: Taste of Wheaton
When: 4 p.m. Thursday; 4 p.m. Friday; 7:30 a.m. Saturday; and noon Sunday
Where: Memorial Park, 208 W. Union Ave.
Admission: Free
Info: Wheatonparkdistrict.com