Schaumburg's Septemberfest could look a little different this year
Schaumburg officials are mulling a scaled-back, two-day version of the village's traditional Septemberfest celebration over Labor Day weekend.
The three-member general government committee on Monday accepted a report on what such a scaled-back event on the municipal campus would look like. But it would require some imminent action by the full village board to enable the staff to start planning the festival and spending money on its preparation.
Cultural Services Director Jack Netter said he'd outlined a smaller version of Septemberfest at the request of Mayor Tom Dailly.
As suggested, the event would differ from the traditional celebration last held in 2019 by leaving out a third day on Labor Day itself along with a parade, arts & crafts show, dedicated not-for-profit day and possibly fireworks.
However, Trustee Brian Bieschke on Monday said he'd like to see a Saturday fireworks show remain part of what the full village board considers.
What would stay the same under Netter's outline would be the full-sized carnival, musical entertainment on two stages, and a presence by a smaller number of local restaurants during the weekend of Sept. 4-5.
Netter said Gov. J.B. Pritzker's suggestion of a "Bridge Phase" in the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions would allow the capacity of such an event to be larger then, though health metrics have been going in the wrong direction in recent weeks.
The committee discussed including an arts & crafts show as part of the plan but ultimately agreed the restrictions on it - and the fact many vendors have already booked other shows that weekend - might leave a bad impression.
"The thing we don't want to do is create an event people are disappointed with," Netter said.
Though Septemberfest is not currently budgeted for, Netter's suggested scaled-back version is estimated to cost about $204,000, or 47% of 2019's event. Revenue generated by sponsors and other sources is estimated at $109,000, or 26% of that collected in 2019.
Preparation for the event would also require the reinstatement of the village's furloughed special events coordinator as early as May at a cost of about $10,250 per month.