Plainfield Fest Funds Riverfront Masterplan

Nearly a century ago, the DuPage riverfront was the place to be in Plainfield. A summer resort complete with cabins, a dance pavilion, restaurant, bowling alley and swimming, drew thousands of visitors to the village.

But more than 80 years since Electric Park celebrated its last summer, a local nonprofit is looking to return the riverfront to its former splendor.

This weekend’s Plainfield Fest is one of the largest fundraisers for the Plainfield Riverfront Foundation.

Founded in 2009, the foundation was created to raise awareness of plans to revitalize the riverfront, along with conducting fundraising.

The riverfront masterplan, adopted by the in 2007, includes shops, restaurants and more along a nearly two-mile stretch along the DuPage River from Route 59 to Renwick Road.

The long-term plan also includes a large pavilion for community events at Riverfront Park, along with new paths to connect with existing walking and biking trails, according to village trustee Paul Fay, who heads up the Riverfront Foundation steering committee.

“The Riverfront Foundation is really a vehicle to help build a very strong destination in Plainfield, to build an economy,” he said, adding the project will build upon beautification efforts that began with the Lockport Street streetscape project.

“The downtown is thriving,” Fay said. “Imagine expanding that.”

While it won’t exactly be the reincarnation of Electric Park — there are no plans for cabins or some of the other amenities the venue boasted in its heyday — Fay said that like the historic hotspot, the redeveloped riverfront would use the DuPage River to lure businesses and visitors to Plainfield.

“Instead of viewing the DuPage River as a detriment, we’re looking at it as a valuable asset," he said.

But making the masterplan a reality could take decades. The plan can be seen on the Riverfront Foundation’s website.

Bringing the vision to life will also take a large financial investment. Fay said the foundation is working to raise money to fund projects associated with the masterplan, helped along by grant funding and donations such as a $25,000 gift contributed by Canadian National Railway.

Events such as Plainfield Fest, along with Plainfield River Days, scheduled for Sept. 14-16, also raise awareness and funds for the riverfront plan.

This year’s Plainfield Fest is July 20-22 in downtown Plainfield. For more information or a complete schedule of events, , or visit www.plainfieldfest.org.