Wood Dale expanding special event offerings

The Wood Dale City Council recently approved plans to move forward with multiple new special events for the 2019 season.

For the past several years, there has been a strong desire within the community to expand special event offerings in town - and that support has been reflected in larger-than-expected crowds.

The new events, now in the early planning stages, include a Cruise Night series to be held select Monday evenings throughout the summer on Commercial Street, near city hall, as well as a Sounds of Summer Concert Series that will take place on some Friday nights in the green space at Wood Dale Road and Commercial Street.

The always-popular Prairie Fest in July also will grow this year with the addition of a judged car show on Friday night.

"We're all very excited to provide these events," said Marketing & Special Events Manager Grant Paplauskas. "We've seen how the community responds to Prairie Fest, as well as how it brings business into Wood Dale, and we're looking forward to adding even more fun opportunities for both residents and visitors to enjoy."

Also planned later in the year is the return of the Trunk or Treat event, initiated in 2018, in which the city partnered with Wood Dale Elementary District 7 to provide activities and a safe place for children to trick-or-treat.

The event attracted more than 1,500 participants and several Wood Dale businesses took part in decorating vehicles, handing out candy and interacting with community members.

"It was an amazing turnout," Paplauskas said. "We planned on about 500 children for the whole day, and ended up seeing that many in the first half-hour alone."

Last year saw growth in all of the city's special events, with more than triple the amount of participants attending the Public Works Open House, Bike With A Cop event and Wood Dale Police Night Out, in addition to larger than average crowds attending Prairie Fest.

For more information on the city's special events, including a full lineup, visit www.wooddale.com or follow CityofWoodDale on social media.