LOMBARD – The 2014 installment of the Taste of Lombard, beginning Tuesday at Madison Meadow Park, will feature something for just about everyone.
"We really try to give people a taste of Lombard, and that doesn't mean just Lombard restaurants," said Jackie West, president of the Lombard Jaycees. "It [involves] a little of everything there is in Lombard."
Local restaurants are a part of the festival, but there are also carnival games, crafts, local vendors, live music and fireworks.
The annual five-day festival is run by the Lombard Jaycees, a nonprofit organization, with the intent on supporting other community groups. The Jaycees pay groups $10 per hour – and $15 on the Fourth of July – to help run the festival.
"A lot of people assume this is a village event that is funded with village money, but it is done by us," West said. "Many groups depend on the money they raise during our five-day event to fund various projects throughout the year."
One feature of this year's festival is the Lombard's Got Talent contest, where six finalists will sing for prize money. Prior to the contest, the winners of the Battle of the Bands at Willowbrook High School (Gamechanger) and at Glenbard East High School (Bulletproof) will face off for local rock supremacy.
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If you go
What: Taste of Lombard 2014
When: 5 to 11 p.m. July 1 to 3; noon to 11 p.m. July 4 and 5
Where: Madison Meadow Park
Tickets: $3; children ages 9 and younger are free
More info: www.tasteoflombard.com