Jaycees Want Residents Involved In Hometown Fest

The Palatine Jaycees are looking for community residents who want to participate in this year’s July 4th celebration which will run from Friday, June 29th through Wednesday, July 4th at Community Park on Palatine Road and Northwest Highway.

“This is a community event. We want everyone to come out and get involved with Hometown Fest,” said Jennifer Iannuzzelli, co-chair of the Festival.  “We have added a new event and brought back some exciting activities that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.  We want everyone to know about them in advance so that they can get involved in time for the Fest.”

The Jaycees are adding a new event to the festival this year.  On Sunday, July 1st from Noon until 2:00 PM the Jaycees are trying to set a new world record for the most people playing a hand held video game at one time at one location.  Everyone wishing to participate is asked to bring their own video game to the park at Noon. There is a $2.00 fee for participation.  All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

On Monday, July 2nd is the annual Special Needs Carnival newly named The Kathleen A. Blanck Memorial Carnival for Individuals with Special Needs.  This is a private carnival solely dedicated to members of the community with special needs.  Individuals with mental and/or physical disabilities and their immediate families are invited.  The Special Needs Carnival runs from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM.  Individuals wishing to participate need to be at the carnival at 2:30 PM to register.

The Jaycees are still accepting individuals who would like to participate in the Arts and Crafts Fair/Business and Charity Expo on Saturday, June 30th and Sunday, July 1st.  There are a limited number of booths still available.  Exhibitors will be assigned a 12’ x 12’ space on a first come, first serve basis.  An Arts & Craft booth will cost $65.00 for both days, while Business Expo booths are $150.00.  Charity Expo booths will cost $30.00 for the two days.  Applications for booths are available on the Jaycee website at www.hometownfest.org.

For carnival ride lovers, the Jaycees will once again be selling Mega Passes that are good for all rides at any time that the carnival is in operation prior to the start of the six day Fest.  The Jaycees will be selling the passes for $70.00 on Saturday, June 23 from 10:00 AM to Noon and Wednesday, June 27th from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at the Park District Building located at 200 East Wood Street.  Individuals will be given a certificate that can be redeemed for a Mega Pass at Hometown Fest.  If individuals are unable to make the presales dates, passes will be available at the Fest for $80.00.

At the same time Mega Passes are being sold, Jaycees will be selling tickets for the Best Seat in the House Raffle.  Tickets are only $5.00 each and will be available at the Fest as well.  If an individual participates in the Life Source Blood Drive on Sunday, July 1st from Noon until 7:00 PM, they will receive a free raffle ticket as well as two beverage tickets.  Ticket sales will end at 3:00 PM on Tuesday, July 3rd, the night of fireworks, and the drawing will be at 4:15 PM.  The winner must be present to win.  The individual who wins will have a VIP area from 5:00 PM to Midnight for the fireworks.  From 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, the winner will receive a beverage package, pizza as well as some other Hometown Fest goodies.

“One of the highlights of each year’s Hometown Fest is the fireworks display which will be held on Tuesday, July 3rd,” said Jackie Butler, co-chair of the Festival.  “As in the past, the Palatine Jaycees have been fortunate enough to provide the town of Palatine with this show through all the fundraising done by our volunteers.  If you would like to help with this year’s show, you can look for volunteer Jaycees wearing Hometown Fest shirts around the Fest collecting donations or you can simply send a check payable to the Palatine Jaycees to P.O. Box 1517, Palatine, IL 60078-1517.

“Brought back by popular demand is the Hometown Toss also known as Baggo or Corn Hole,” said Paul Castle, co-chair of the Festival.  “Teams can pre-register at www.hometownfest.org to guarantee a spot in the competition which will be held on Sunday, July 1st at 2:00 PM on the Fest grounds.  The tournament costs $20.00 for a two-person team.  On-site registration and warm ups start at 1:00 PM.  Prizes will be awarded.”

The Palatine Chapter of the Jaycees is one of the nearly 100 local Chapters throughout the State and one of the largest chapters in Illinois.  The Jaycees provide individuals between the age of 21 and 39 the opportunity to develop personal and leadership skills while serving their community.

The Palatine Chapter holds their monthly general meeting on the third Thursday of the month at 7:30 PM at the American Legion Hall on Palatine Road in Palatine.  For further information on the Palatine Jaycees, membership or any of their sponsored events write to the Palatine Jaycees, Post Office Box 1517, Palatine, IL 60078-1517, call them at 847-604-0288, email them at info@palatinejaycees.org or visit their web site at www.palatinejaycees.org.