West Chicago cancels Blooming Fest and Railroad Days

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause cancellations of public gatherings across the country, the City of West Chicago has announced that, in the interest of public health and safety, it is cancelling Blooming Fest, the downtown garden festival scheduled for Saturday, May 15 and Railroad Days in July.

"While strides have been made to reduce the numbers of those infected in West Chicago and DuPage County, we're not there yet. Like last year's cancellation of our special events, the decision is made with an abundance of caution and concern for all those involved and for the attending public," said Mayor Ruben Pineda.

City staff will create related activities and giveaways on the Blooming Fest Facebook page in the days ahead to keep the community engaged and to offset some of the disappointment felt over the event's cancellation.

As the possibilities for widespread distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in the coming months becomes a reality, the city is hopeful that special events will return later this year.

"We will continue to monitor local metrics closely to help us in the decision to move forward with future public events, following the guidance of local, state and federal health officials for large gatherings. We will be ready to host our community celebrations when the time is right," Mayor Pineda added.

For updates on COVID-19, visit the City's COVID-19 Communications Center at westchicago.org.