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6 | June 21, 2018 | The Homer Horizon news
homerhorizon.com
Homer Community Fest to return with new musical acts in 2018
Four-day event starts
Thursday, June 21
Jacquelyn Schlabach
Assistant Editor
There’s nothing better than
getting the family together on
a summer day for good food,
carnival rides and live music.
Residents can soon enjoy
just that, as Homer Community
Fest will return to
the village for its ninth year
Thursday, June 21, through
Sunday, June 24.
Many of the popular attractions
and vendors from years
past will be at the four-day
festival, with some new additions
to be seen and heard
throughout the grounds on
the northeast corner of 151st
Street and Creme Road.
“We’ve seen the fest grow
throughout the years,” Parade
& Festival Committee cochairman
and Village Trustee
Carlo Caprio said. “I personally
feel like we have become
a destination, where a lot
of festivals host them a few
years, and they don’t survive,
but we’ve done a really great
job working with the Township
and the Homer Road
Members of the West Suburban Shrine Club drive their
miniature cars during last year’s Independence Day Parade
that is part of Homer Community Fest.
22nd Century Media File Photo
District to get everybody involved
and to make this festival
a destination for everyone
to come to.”
The gates open at 3 p.m.
Thursday, and the festival closes
at midnight. All of the entertainment
is free, including Mr.
D’s Magic & Illusion Show at
7 p.m. on Thursday, and access
to all six food vendors.
Families can enjoy the
carnival rides and purchase
a mega pass for $65 that allows
unlimited rides all four
days. Day passes can also be
purchased for $30.
Caprio is in charge of finding
musical acts to perform at
Homer Fest and said that the
lineup on Saturday is completely
new from last year.
Hair Band Night, who plays
at 9:30 p.m., and The Millennials,
who plays at 6:30 p.m.,
are just two of the new bands
set to perform Saturday. Additional
first-time performers
at Homer Fest include 7th
Heaven on Friday at 9:30
p.m., and Midwest Dueling
Pianos on Sunday at 4:30
p.m. Midwest Dueling Pianos
is a musical act that entertains
audiences with their
comedy piano show.
“We’ve never had [Midwest
Dueling Pianos] before,
and I thought that would be a
great act to get the people in
the mood on Sunday,” Caprio
said.
He said that other musical
performers and acts in the
past have been thoroughly
enjoyed, but that it’s always
important to constantly have
fresh, new talent for audiences
to hear.
“Our biggest goal is enjoyment,”
Caprio said. “We
want to make sure the community
and surrounding
communities have a great,
safe time with us and enjoy
every moment with us with
great music and food, and indulge
in a cocktail at the beer
tent, if they’d like.”
Owner and head chef
Ruben Pazmino at Homer
Glen’s Rubi Agave has donated
80 gallons of margarita
mix to the festival. This is
his fourth year donating, but
he increased the amount this
time because he said in the
last few years, it always runs
out after the second day.
“Every year, [Homer Fest]
gets exponentially bigger, so
we love to see the community
be there, more and more of
the community, people from
all over, seeing what Homer
is all about,” Pazmino said.
He has also donated his
restaurant’s photo booth to
use for the fest located near
the beer tent.
“It’s a great experience,”
Pazmino said.
Residents can enjoy a glass
of margarita while watching
the fireworks show on
Thursday, which always
seems to be a crowd favorite.
The show, “Magic Skies
VI — Symphony of Lights,”
will start at 9:30 p.m. and will
be simulcast live on 101.3
FM to classical music. The
fireworks show is primarily
viewed at the Township’s
sports fields, where a live
soundtrack is also broadcast.
The show typically lasts
around 25 minutes each year.
When the fireworks show
begins, 151st Street will be
closed until 10:30 p.m. between
Eagle Ridge Drive and
Creme Road.
“My favorite part is always
the fireworks,” Parade & Festival
Committee member Sue
Steilen said. “We have an
outstanding fireworks show.
It’s long, and it’s choreographed
to music, and I actually
take a break from the fest
to watch the fireworks.”
Other key parts of Homer
Community Fest include the
Special Needs Day Pre-Carnival
Party on June 22, when
from 2-4:30 p.m., the festival
grounds at 14500 W. 151st
Street are dedicated to Homer
Glen residents with special
needs and their accompanying
family.
There is also the Homer
Community Independence
Day Parade at 11 a.m. June 23
that will start at 151st Street
and Parker Road and head
north on Parker, ending at
Briarwood Drive. The parade
lineup includes everything
from the Lockport Township
High School marching band
to costumed characters to fire
and police to Army trucks.
Steilen said Homer Community
Fest is a kickoff for
summer and a great event
where the family can spend
time together.
“It’s just a nice event close
by,” she said.
For more information,
including the full lineup of
musical acts, hours, rides and
parking, visit www.homer
fest.com.
Homer Glen Village Board
New member for Plan Commission named, committee lists approved
Jessie Molloy
Freelance Reporter
The Homer Glen Village
Board appointed a new member
to the Plan Commission
and established the members
of several other committees
at its June 13 meeting.
Members of the Plan
Commission needed to be
appointed before the commission
could hold its next
meeting, which was slated
for this week. The current
members’ terms of appointment
expired on May 31.
The board voted unanimously
to approve Don
Mitchell as the chairman of
the commission. Mitchell has
served on the commission
since 2011. While members
of the commission are appointed
to three-year terms,
the chairperson role is a oneyear
appointment. This will
be Mitchell’s second year
serving in that role; he was
first appointed chairman in
2017.
The board also approved
the appointment of Jerry
Young as a member of the
Plan Commission. Young
will take the seat of Eileen
Crement, who stepped aside
from the commission after
her term expired in May.
Young has been a Homer
Glen resident for 15 years
and has served on the Parks
& Recreation Committee
and Community & Economic
Development Committee,
as well as the PTO of Goodings
Grove School.
As a business manager and
former banker, Young said
he believes his work background
will “bring some
insight to the commission,”
as he has been involved in
development projects.
Young said he had spoken
to Mayor George Yukich
about joining the Plan Commission
on several occasions,
and that he is excited
about the opportunity.
“I will be a proud member
of the commission, and
I’m looking forward to representing
the Village in this
capacity,” he said.
Young and Mitchell will
be joined on the Plan Commission
by returning members
Kevin O’Donnell and
Lynn McGary.
The board also voted to
approve the member list of
the Administration & Finance,
Environment, Parade
& Festival and Public Services
& Safety Committees.
The decision on the
membership of the Parks &
Recreation Committee was
tabled until the next meeting
due to confusion over if two
or three of the trustees would
be members. Trustees Christina
Neitzke-Troike, Sharon
Sweas and Beth Rodgers all
expressed interest.
No other changes were
made regarding the chairperson
appointments for
each committee. Yukich and
Trustee Brian Burian will
lead the Community & Economic
Development Committee;
Sweas will chair the
Environment Committee;
Trustees Carlo Caprio and
Keith Gray will represent the
board on the Parade & Festival
Committee; and Gray
will also chair the Public
Please see village, 10