Crossroads Festival will honor veterans
By Marianne Eisenbrandt For The Herald-News July 26, 2012 1:16PM
Denise Schmidt, Shorewood Crossroads fest chair and chairwoman of the Shorewood Area Chamber of Commerce Board, has been busy placing fest posters throughout the area. | Marianne Eisenbrandt ~ For Sun-Times Media
Updated: August 28, 2012 6:14AM
SHOREWOOD — The annual Shorewood Crossroads Festival is one of the most popular festivals in the area, featuring a variety of entertainment, activities and competitions for everyone.
This year’s festival will take place Aug. 3-5 at Four Seasons Park, 24520 W. Seil Road (west of River Road).
Celebrating more than 35 years of fun, the fest has grown from a community event first held to celebrate the nation’s bicentennial to an event that draws more than 10,000 people during its three-day run.
The festival is brought to the community by the Shorewood Area Chamber of Commerce. The presenting sponsor for the entire weekend is Heartland Bank and Trust.
“This year’s theme is ‘Welcome Home,’ a salute to our returning hometown heroes. All local post-9/11 veterans will be the focus of our efforts and serve as our parade grand marshals,” said Denise Schmidt, Crossroads Fest chair and chairwoman of the chamber board.
“We would love the participation of every local veteran throughout the weekend regardless of the years in which they served but we are putting special emphasis on the post-9/11 veterans during the parade as a way to say to our recently deployed troops that the Shorewood area is welcoming them home,” Schmidt said.
The fest kicks off at 4 p.m. Aug. 3 with a grand-opening party at 4:30 p.m. and the 4:45 p.m. crowning of Miss Shorewood and Miss Shorewood Junior. The carnival runs from 4 to 11 p.m.
The carnival will feature unlimited $20 wristband specials each day. Unlimited ride special hours are 4-8 p.m. Aug. 3 and 1-5 p.m. Aug. 4 and 5.
The entertainment tent opens at 4 p.m. Aug. 3. The band The Hat Guys performs from 5:15 to 8:15 p.m., and headliners Libido Funk Circus take the stage from 9 p.m. to midnight. Libido Funk Circus covers popular music from the days of Motown to last week’s Billboard charts.
In addition to the three-day carnival, a variety of children’s activities family will make for a memorable weekend.
Aug. 4 events include free children’s activities and Home Depot workshops on building a birdhouse and tool box. After the parade on Aug. 5, kids can plant an actual garden.
A 5K race/walk, dunk tank, Bean Bag Tournament, Beautiful Baby Contest, Pie and Hot Dog Eating Contests and fireworks, provided by the village of Shorewood, will all take place Aug. 4.
Aug. 4’s opening band is Kashmir, a Led Zeppelin tribute band, which will play from 5:30-8:30 p.m., followed at 9:30 p.m. by the headline act, ARRA, the Journey-plus cover band that headlined last year’s fest as well. The night will light up at 9 p.m. with fireworks.
The highlight of the festival is the 1 p.m. parade on Aug. 5. The finale is a concert line-up beginning at 4 p.m. that includes USO Show entertainment from the Legacy Girls and a stirring patriotic concert performance to close the fest.
A new addition to the fest’s entertainment tent will be a Designated Driver Program sponsored by Kozol Brothers Distributors, the Shorewood Police Department, Jewel/ Osco and the Debbie Dudek American Family Insurance Agency.
There will be plenty to eat at Eat Street. Treats like corn dogs, Italian beef, Dippin’ Dots, pizza, hamburgers, roasted corn, pork chops, egg rolls, chicken on a stick, smoothies, tacos and Cajun sausage and more will be available over the three days of the fest.
For more information, visit www.crossroadsfest.com.
