15 minutes after 10,000 Maniacs took their bows, Schaumburg Septemberfest was getting packed up

By Eric Peterson

epeterson@dailyherald.com

Every Labor Day weekend, the plain parking lot of Schaumburg's municipal center is transformed at incredible speed into the colorful, crowded fairground that serves as home to Septemberfest.

The return to normal happens even faster.

Only 15 minutes after the band 10,000 Maniacs left the festival's main stage Monday night, a battalion of workers began packing up the temporary structure as well as all the carnival rides and games whose bright lights thrilled an estimated 200,000 to 250,000 people over the previous three days.

Though no strict attendance count is taken, the density of crowds clearly placed this year's among the most successful Septemberfests, Cultural Services Director Jack Netter said.

Bill Johnson, owner of Prospect Heights-based Fantasy Amusements Co., said the carnival breakdown takes only three to five hours. Once packed up, the rides and other amusements were on their way to HispanoFest in Melrose Park, which opens this Friday.

Returning to a familiar location like Schaumburg saves time in figuring out the configuration of the rides and games in the available space, Johnson said, adding that there's no added pressure in the safe and practiced procedure that accompanies each setup and removal.

All traces of the carnival were gone before sunrise, when the workers from village's public works staff and other departments returned to remove fencing, tents, tables, chairs, portable toilets, golf carts and other equipment.

By Tuesday afternoon, the parking lot and other areas outside the Robert O. Atcher Municipal Center were back to normal, Netter said.

"They're very professional, very organized," he said of Fantasy Amusement Co. "They want to be out as much as we want them out."

Schaumburg Special Events Coordinator Roxane Benvenuti said the biggest variables in the speed of the cleanup from one year to the next are weather and the amount of help available.

Though there was some rain Tuesday morning, Schaumburg Village Manager Brian Townsend said rather than slowing down workers, it was welcome in assisting the grassy areas outside the municipal center recover from the heavy equipment and foot traffic it endured over the holiday weekend.

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