Hoffman Estates cancels Northwest Fourth-Fest, summer concerts

Hoffman Estates officials have canceled all village events and festivals through late July, including Northwest Fourth-Fest and the majority of the Summer Sounds on the Green concert series, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Village trustees say they will to revisit the issue in July to decide whether it would be safe to try to book some musical acts for the Village Green stage for August and September.

While Hoffman Estates already made several changes to its operations this year for COVID-19, such large events really go to the heart of the reason behind social-distancing restrictions, Mayor Bill McLeod said.

“These are nice events, but with the pandemic we don't want 30,000 people at the fireworks on the Fourth of July,” he said.

The decision leaves the village with no permanent financial losses from the summer events. None of the contracts negotiated with prospective musical acts for this summer had yet been finalized or made binding at the time of the decision.

Village Manager Jim Norris said the ability to provide residents with sufficient notice through the village's monthly newsletter was a stronger consideration than the money that could be saved.

Northwest Fourth-Fest normally costs the village about $140,000, but only two vendors are due any money under existing contracts — and both said they'd be willing to put those payments toward next year's cost, Deputy Village Manager Dan O'Malley said.

The fireworks vendor's contract allows its total cost to be reduced from $42,000 to $15,000 if the village doesn't receive payment from its partners like the Hoffman Estates Park District by the end of May. And if the show isn't held at all, only half the payment is owed, leaving the village responsible for only $7,500 that will be carried over to 2021.

Similarly, the $735 down payment made for pony rides will be applied to next year.

“Other than that, there would be no other expenses that the village would be out,” O'Malley said.

One way officials hope to mark Independence Day weekend is to create a video montage of prior village parades and fireworks displays to be broadcast on the village's cable channel 6.