Des Plaines Summer Fling

Yes it was a disaster. Only 4 food vendors, and 2 of them Greek joints.
The carnival was a waste. That is where the food vendors in the past were set up, along with a huge covered area with tables and chairs.
Also, in the past, there was covered seating in front of the main stage. This year, the stage area was uncovered, and no seating. Standing room only.

I know there are a few people who would disagree, but I miss Des Plaines old summer party, where it was a «taste of» and actually had tents serving DP restaurant’s food! Tents, not 4 tents, but a slew of them. The Des Plaines Summer Fling, while better entertainment than we had in years past (if you’re into David Cassidy), didn’t hold a candle to years past!
1. $ 3 cover! WTH? Lucky they had a singer (David Cassidy) who drew a bunch of people (odd though, I really wasn’t a big Partridge Family fan, but had a ton of friends who went just for him).
2. 4 food booths, and I do not believe any of them were DP restaurants.
3. Carnival rides, complete with carnies and a full-​fledged rip-​off! 20 tickets for $ 20, rides were 3 — 5 tickets… I’ve got three kids who wanted to ride stuff, if I let them ride that stuff, there, I may as well have taken them to Six Flags for the day… it was a ridiculous waste of money.
4. ONE beverage tent, right by the stage (since that was the draw, I guess if you’re only going to have one, that’s where you’d put it)
5. Arts and crafts… BULL @#$%! There were 4 tents with artsie-​craftsie stuff, two of them (the ones on the ends, because they were all in a row) had the same stuff!
See below for a brief description of what this used to be if you want, but if it’s run by the same organization next year, we won’t waste our time!
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Years past, when a company wasn’t contracted to do this, but it was done by the city: 1) our restauranteurs came out and represented with good food and great personality; 2) free bouncy houses for the kids to play on, along with arts and crafts station; 3) historical center sold fresh baked pies from the porch for $ 3 a slice and it was GOOD!; 4) free to get in because you spent a ton-​o-​cash while you were there; 5) arts and crafts: portraits, hand made jewelry; knick-​knacky stuff; you name it — it was there and it was worth seeing; and 6) local bands with local flavor and local followings were showcased.