Thunderstorms, lightning and power outages: Day 3 Taste of Joliet
By Jaime Angio Correspondent July 1, 2012 3:02PM
Shane Harper fans wait for his show to begin after a passing storm and power outage caused a delay at the main stage at the Taste of Joliet at Joliet Memorial Stadium in Joliet, Illinois, Sunday, July 1, 2012. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: August 3, 2012 6:19AM
After all, the “adult” music was on the Taste of Joliet’s lineup for Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. So Sunday morning, it was all about them.
The tweens.
The Radio Disney Road Crew and the Radio Disney’s Next Big Thing on Tour was set to take the stage starting at noon.
Doors didn’t open until 11 a.m., but some already were waiting in line at 9 a.m. sharp for a meet-and-greet and concert by Radio Disney and Disney Channel star/teen heartthrob, Shane Harper.
For 10-year-old Nakariel Clarke, of Joliet, life just doesn’t get any better.
“I am, like, super excited,” she said. “I don’t even know what to say. He’s an actor, dancer and singer. This is just the best day of my life.”
Plainfield twins Megan and Madeline Waters, both 9, were so excited they almost didn’t sleep at all Saturday night, they said.
“We maybe slept for three hours,” Megan said.
“This is, like, the best day of my summer,” Madaline said.
It also rained on the adults’ parade, too.
At noon Sunday, lightning and thunderstorms forced the fest to evacuate again, like it did Friday night during the REO Speedwagon concert. At 12:30 p.m., Joliet Memorial Stadium lost all power, but at 1 p.m., the doors re-opened.
The carnival had power, but everything else was temporarily shut down.
Some drank beer under the tent. Lee Smith of S&S BBQ in Lockport was barbecuing, smoking about 60 pounds of rib tips.
“The rain won’t stop me,” Smith said.
And the tweens? The rain wasn’t stopping them either.
Shane Harper, at an undisclosed location somewhere on the festival grounds, awaited die-hard fans, like Hallie Callender, 18, of Hillman, Mich., who drove nine hours to see Harper.
“I got here yesterday around 3 p.m., and I spent the night in a hotel in Joliet,” she said. “I’m going to stay as long as it takes to see. I booked another hotel for tonight.”
Joliet Park District officials estimated about 30,000 people attended the Taste of Joliet over the past three days. Attendance was a bit slow on Sunday.
