The Battle Rages On!

On June 11, and welcomed four local teen bands to the stage of the Fred P. Hall Amphitheater for the 2012 Battle of the Bands. The event is part of the Illinois Park and Recreation Association’s Illinois Teen Battle of the Bands series. Bands compete in local events to earn a spot in a regional battle of the bands. The regional winners are then invited to participate in the state finals held during the Illinois State Fair in August.

Many prizes were on the line at the Palatine Battle of the Bands, including the regional berth, the opportunity to play during the Hometown Fest, the opportunity to play at the ’s Street Fest, gift certificates from in Palatine, and guitars and amplifiers donated by in Palatine.

White Shadow, a band from Barrington, was named the winner of the Palatine Battle and earned the opportunity to advance to the Algonquin Regional scheduled for July 29th as part of the Algonquin Founders' Day Fest. The Skelters, who played in Palatine this year and were the 2nd place band in last year's state finals, earned a spot in the Algonquin Regional through the Crystal Lake local battle, and Arkane Daze, another Palatine Battle performer, earned the chance to play in Algonquin by winning the Elk Grove local battle. One of the bands these three will meet at the regional is Storm the Front, winner of this year's Buffalo Grove local battle.  Storm the Front is no stranger to the Fred P. Hall Amphitheater stage - they won the 2011 Palatine Battle, the 2011 Palatine Regional, and then came in 3rd at the Illinois State Fair in 2011. The other bands playing in Algonquin on July 29th include Fargo and Dead Authority. We’ve seen many of these bands perform in Palatine, and it is sure to be a great show starting at 12:30pm in Algonquin.

The fourth band to play in this year's Palatine Battle was Chupacabra, a band comprised of four local Palatine teens. Hanna Khatib (guitar) and John Scovic (guitar and lead vocals) both graduated from Palatine High School in 2012.  Jeremiah De La Pena (drums) and Mark Scovic (bass) will be sophomores at Palatine High School next year. Chupacabra was the local favorite at the Palatine Battle, bringing the largest crowd of fans to the event. They were chosen by the Palatine Jaycees to participate in Hometown Fest and will be taking the stage at the Fred P. Hall Amphitheater once again on Tuesday, July 3rd at noon. They were also chosen to play at the Village of Palatine’s Street Fest scheduled for the last weekend in August.

The Palatine Park District and the Salt Creek Park District are pleased to have been able to afford these amazing groups of young musicians with the opportunity to showcase their talents at the Palatine Battle of the Bands, and want to congratulate all of the groups as they move on in the battle or prepare to perform again right here in Palatine.

The mission of the Palatine Park District is to provide a variety of safe, enjoyable and affordable parks and recreation facilities and activities that will enhance the quality of life by promoting good health and well-being for all residents and visitors of the Palatine Park District.

It is the mission of the Salt Creek Rural Park District to provide for the community a quality park and recreation system that is committed to excellence in service and facilities, as well as being sensitive to individuals and economics.