Organizers: River Days 2012 Draws a Record Crowd

The third annual event took place Sept. 15 and 16 in downtown Plainfield.

Last weekend’s River Days drew more than 5,000 people — an all-time high for the three-year-old event, according to organizers. The 2012 event took place Sept. 15 and 16 and Riverfront Park, 24321 W. Lockport St. Organizers chalked up the record attendance to some new elements added this year, including a fireworks show, a new “Taste of Plainfield” food court theme and tethered hot air balloon rides. “We truly expanded our offerings this year, kicking it up a notch with a Wine & Jazz event on Friday night, a premier car show, exceptional music all weekend long, along with added special features, such as the hot air balloon and added kid friendly activities,” Plainfield Riverfront Foundation President Rob Epley said in an email. “[It was] …

•  21 Comments
• Photos (22)

Your Guide to River Days: What You Need to Know

The two-day event is Sept. 15 and 16 at Riverfront Park in downtown Plainfield.

River Days, that annual fundraiser and showcase for the DuPage riverfront, will kick off Saturday morning in downtown Plainfield, and we’re here to make sure you’re prepared. The gates open at 11 a.m. at Riverfront Park, 24321 W. Lockport St., located east of Village Hall on the west side of downtown Plainfield. Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. This year’s event features a “Taste of Plainfield” theme, putting the spotlight on local restaurants. This year’s vendors are Aurelio’s, Annabell’s Bar-B-Q, HopScotch & Vine, Binnie’s Dog House, Katie O’Connor’s, McBride’s, La Dolce Vita per tutti and Vito & Nicks’s II. Snack vendors will include ice cream from Good Humor Dave, plus smoothies and fried Twinkies and…

•  10 Comments
• Photos (1)

Midwest Brewers Fest is Back Aug. 25

Celebrating craft brews, the event will host more than 50 brewpubs and breweries this year.

After getting off to a bit of a rocky start in its first year out — the inaugural fest failed to reach its fundraising goal, prompting scrutiny of its finances — the Midwest Brewers Fest will return to Riverfront Park next Saturday, Aug. 25. Featuring craft beers and artisan foods, the event will kick off at 1 p.m. Guests who purchased VIP passes, which are now sold out, will get in an hour early and receive perks like special tastings, food, a commemorative T-shirt and VIP on-site parking. Rahul Wahi, who volunteered at last year’s Midwest Brewers Fest, came on board this year as an organizer and said he hopes to create an “iconic” event for the village. “I wanted to really showcase Plainfield, the dedicated local businesses and …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Lots of New Vendors Expected When the Farmers Market Returns June 16

Organizer Dale Lewis says they have nearly twice as many applicants as they need, and expects to see a lot more produce this year.

The Plainfield Farmers Market returns June 16, and it will be a "buyers' market" for organizers, who will choose from among 50 vendors to fill 30 slots, co-founder Dale Lewis said. The market, which features all locally grown produce and homemade goods, is held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays through the end of September at the southwest corner of Lockport Street and Route 59. If in year's past there have been complaints that not been enough vegetables and fruits were being sold, that won't be a problem in 2012, Lewis said. The market has grown exponentially every year, and now they have the luxury of picking and choosing which new vendors to allow to participate, he said. "We have a bunch of new vendors coming" Lewis said. "There's been a…

•  9 Comments
• Photos (1)

Mom 91

1:02 pm on Wednesday, June 13, 2012

I agree with Kimberley. I go to a farmers market to find fruits n veggies not soap, bakery, jewelry, etc. I hate when I take my time to get to one and there's virtually no fruits n veggies - very misleading   more ›

Construction to Begin This Year on First Phase of Riverfront Park Restoration

State grant money will pay for a pedestrian bridge over the DuPage River and a walking path along the riverbank.

The first phase of the Riverfront Park restoration project will begin this year with the installation of a pedestrian bridge over the DuPage River and a walking path along the river's west bank, Plainfield Village Trustee Paul Fay said. Assuming the state releases grant money for the work in the next month or two -- $1 million for the bridge and $500,000 for the walking path -- the work will be done this spring and summer, said Fay, chairman of the riverfront steering committee. "Our understanding with the state is that they've put the money in the queue" for release, Fay said. The pedestrian bridge, one of two that are planned, will be 10 feet in width and will extend from the south side of the existing Lockport Street bridge. It will be …

•  22 Comments
• Photos (3)

Ram Seichert

10:31 am on Wednesday, May 9, 2012

@ED ARTER - Hi Ed, did you get your property tax bill yet? Did you property taxes go up as much as mine did?   more ›

Brew Fest Profit Nowhere Near Goal, but Still a 'Success,' Organizer Says

Unexpected costs, low ticket sales on day of the event hurt, but merchandise sales will bring in money, Steve Caton says. (Take our poll at the end of this story.)

Midwest Brewers Fest numbers are still not final, but it’s possible the event won’t make a profit – at least not yet. Organizer Steve Caton said miscalculated and unplanned costs coupled with a lower-than-anticipated ticket sales on the day of the Aug. 27 event have eaten into the money the fest might have made, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a success nor does it mean they won’t do it again next year. And if they’re able to market the merchandise that wasn’t sold that day – T-shirts, baseball caps, beer glasses and other items – that money will go directly to the Plainfield Riverfront Foundation, the nonprofit group that was to be the beneficiary of money made by the Riverfront Park craft beer event, he said. “Do I regret saying we were …

•  49 Comments
• Photos (1)

A Town Called Plainfield

A Town Called Plainfield: Thomas Edison's Connection to Electric Park

First in a two-part column exploring the legends of the inventor of the electric light bulb, his wife and Plainfield's riverfront park.

The Inquiry This past August, two readers of Plainfield Patch — Sheila Raddatz and Lori Janiec — raised questions about the legends of Thomas Alva Edison and his wife’s association with Plainfield’s famed Electric Park. This is the first in a two-part column exploring the legends. The Facts Plainfield’s Electric Park was not named for any direct association with Thomas Alva Edison, the prolific inventor associated with the incandescent light bulb. The first electric bulb was patented in 1841. At least 22 inventors had developed a variety of incandescent bulbs by 1879, when Edison produced his superior version.  His legacy lays not only in the fact that his bulb was reasonably inexpensive and efficient, but that he developed an integrated …

• Photos (3)

Riverdays Draws 2,000 for a Day of Games, Music and Duck Racing

Organizers say they hope the second-annual event raised $12,000 for redevelopment of the Plainfield riverfront.

Organizers of this weekend’s Plainfield Riverdays are hopeful that a stop by the riverfront park will get people involved in efforts to restore it. Some 2,000 people were estimated to have dropped by the Riverdays fundraiser Saturday. The festival featured everything from mini-golf and bounce houses for the kids to mud volleyball and a duck race on the DuPage River. The festival started last year as a way to raise money to restore Plainfield’s riverfront and what was once Electric Park. “I think it’s a good idea,” said Kristin Wagner, a Plainfield woman who came to the festival Saturday with her family. “It will bring more people downtown.” The Plainfield Riverfront Foundation recently exceeded $100,000 in its fundraising efforts for the …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (8)

Craft Beer Fest Draws More Than 3,000 People

Co-founder Steve Caton said that other than running short of ice, the event was well-received and went off as planned.

They came from California, Massachusetts and all over the Midwest, in pursuit of fun, sun and, of course, beer. And at the end of the day, it appeared the 3,000-plus people who flooded the Plainfield riverfront Saturday left satisfied, as did the 57 local and national breweries that made up the inaugural Midwest Brewers Fest in Plainfield. “My job right is now is making sure everyone is happy,” said Steve Caton, fest co-founder and owner of Limestone Brewing Company in Plainfield. “I see the few little small things we have to correct, but for the most part, everyone seems very happy and very surprised about how big it is and (how) beautiful the riverfront is. I love the turnout so far. The weather is great, but this is an experience we …

•  16 Comments
• Photos (5)

Historian: Not Likely Old Pole's from Electric Park

Michael Lambert believes the newly discovered flagpole had been donated to the Plainfield Police Department for a dog training site.

Plainfield historian and architect Michael Lambert is siding with Plainfield Police Cmdr. Kevin Greco in the case of the mysterious flagpole. As you may recall, Midwest Brewers Fest workers found the pole last month while cleaning up the western bank of the DuPage River, near where the Electric Park grandstand once stood. Since then we've been trying to verify if it's a remnant from Plainfield’s old vacation resort of the early 1900s, as the brew fest crew postulated. Not likely, Lambert says. The pole probably dates back to a police dog training course, as Greco speculated, but Lambert places the K-9 program on the site in the early 1980s, rather than the '60s or '70s. The flagpole, Lambert says, is likely the one that Plainfield Township…

• Photos (1)