New Lenox Community Park District cancels annual 4-day festival for 2021

Although signs of normalcy are slowly returning to a pandemic-weary world, summer may still look very different this year in terms of festivals.

The Joliet Library recently cancelled its annual Star Wars Day for 2021.

And the New Lenox Community Park District just announced the canceling of its annual four-day summer festival Proud American Days, which the district hosts.

A news release from the village said even with COVID vaccines becoming available to the public, the current pandemic mitigations, restrictions and what the future holds for the virus doesn’t allow for large groups of people to safely gather.

“The health and safety of our patrons, staff, partners, volunteers, vendors, participants and first responders are, and always will be, our main priority,” the release said.

Proud American Days was scheduled for July 22 to July 25. The festival has been a “huge success” for over 30 years, the release said.

For more information, call 815-485-3584 or visit newlenoxparks.org.

What about other festivals, such as Taste of Joliet, which typically attracts 55,000 people over the three-day event?

“We have not made a formal decision,” Brad Staab, executive director of the Joliet Park District.

The entertainment line-up for Taste of Joliet 2020 featured rock performers Vince Neil and Bret Michael, and country singers Brett Young and Dylan Scott.

If Taste of Joliet returns in 2021, those will still be featured performers, Staab said.

What about carnival attractions and food vendors?

“We haven’t gotten that far yet,” Staab said.

Taste of Joliet 2021 is tentatively scheduled for the last weekend in June, Staab said. But it could be moved to later in the year or it might be canceled for the second year in a row, he added.

For instance, the New Orleans North festival, traditionally held in June, has moved its event to Sept. 11 for 2021. But plans are to return the festival to June in 2022.

As of Thursday, the Taste of Joliet website still only had information from the 2020 event.

With organizers of many large summer festivals beginning their planning shortly after the previous ones ended, Staab did say planning for one this late in the year is very difficult. But Staab is still not ruling it out.

“At this point last year, we had not canceled,” Staab said. “We were still thinking in 2020 we could go through with it.”

So far, Channahon’s Three Rivers Festival is scheduled for Aug. 11 though Aug. 15, according to its website. Mike Rittof, co-chair of the festival, said the plans, so far, are to move forward with the festival, although some modifications may be in place.

For instance, the entertainment areas and beer gardens may be enlarged to allow for social distancing, Rittof said, adding that the scheduled entertainment for the 2020 festival are planning to honor those contracts in 2021.

The company the festival uses for the carnival belongs to Outdoor Amusement Business Association and that company has already sent the festival committee its guidelines for the state of Illinois, Rittof said.

These guidelines include social distancing on rides and waiting in line for rides, freqent disinfecting of high-touch surfaces, the availability of hand santizer, and the taking of employee temperatures and requiring employees to wear facemasks, to name a few.

Rittof said the goal is to have a “safe and great festival” and that, hopefully, “there is a lot of pent-up demand for festival and summer activities.”

A few other summer festivals have listed event dates on their respective websites.

The website for the Minooka Lions Club has lists June 17, June 18 and June 19 for its annual Summerfest.

Lincoln-Way Summer Fest is scheduled for July 16.

Wilmington is planning a Blues Brothers theme for its annual Catfish Days, scheduled this year for July 22 to July 25.

The Lockport Chamber of Commerce listed on its website that Old Canal Days is scheduled for June 10 to June 13 this year.

The 40th Annual Braidwood Lions Summerfest is scheduled for July 15 through July 18, according to its website.

A letter dated March on the website said, “While there currently has been no direction from state health officials or regulators regarding the resumption of fairs, festivals and other large outdoor events prior to Phase 5 of the “Restore Illinois Plan”, our festival planning committee has chosen to move forward with our planning process in the hopes that we will be able to hold our festival once again. Ultimately, the decision and direction of state regulators will dictate the final outcome.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced guidelines for “A Bridge to Phase 5″ Thursday. For festivals and general admission outdoor events, capacity is now increased from 15 people per 1,000 square feet to 30 people per 1,000 square feet.