Main Street Nights. (Photo: Supplied)
Photo Gallery: Park Forest Memorial Day Observance 2014
Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)— The Village of Park Forest is sponsoring free entertainment in downtown Park Forest for eight weeks this summer. The family oriented Main Street Nights features local and regional entertainers on stage in the Village Green located at Cunningham and Victory Boulevard. Vendors include civic groups selling snacks and beverages, plus Dunagains Irish Pub featuring grilled items and sides. Children can play in a bounce house provided by the Wiggle Room. Grab a blanket or a lawn chair and enjoy the free entertainment under the stars!
(In case of rain, performances will be moved to Dining on the Green, next to the outdoor site)
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11
Resident Appreciation Celebration to kick-off Main Street Nights
CN-LITTLE OBIE Little Obie, the miniature Canadian National Locomotive along with accompanying flat car and caboose will provide rides for children and adults throughout the evening!
Joining Little Obie will be “Touch a Truck” (and a few cars!), featuring vehicles from the Village’s police, fire and water departments.
7 p.m. Chicago Boyz Acrobatic Team
The Chicago Boyz Acrobatic Team is a professional gymnastics troupe consisting of talented young men and boys from the Chicagoland area. The show includes stunts and tricks inside twirling jump ropes, catapulting off mini trampolines and thundering tumbling routines with incredible timing.
7:30 p.m. – Park Forest Idols
The top finalists from the Annual Park Forest Idol Contest bring their talent to the stage!
8 p.m. – Banda Rika
BANDA RIKA is a Latin band with a powerful, versatile and highly entertaining dance show whose musical repertoire consists of Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia and Bachata. They’ve been named “Best Suburban Latin Band” by Suburban Nightlife and have shared the stage with Latin greats such as: Arturo Sandoval, Grupo Niche, and Grupo Kaoss.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18
7:00 p.m. – Dance Lessons
Come out and learn some of the hottest moves in Salsa and Stepping from area expert instructors with a DJ providing the tunes (Salsa- 7 – 7:30pm/Stepping – 7:30 – 8pm).
8 p.m. – ALPHA CLEFT PROJECT
Put your new moves to the music of the grooving sounds of Chicago’s Alpha Clef Project, a multi-genre band, playing different styles such as Funk, Jazz, R&B, and Neo-Soul. The band was formed in 2008 and is comprised of musicians and singers from different ethnic and musical backgrounds. This ethnic and musical diversity of the members of the Alpha Clef Project along with a fusion of genres delivers a groove that any heart naturally vibes with!
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25
7:00 p.m. – SIDESWIPE – Martial Arts Performance Team
Sideswipe Martial Arts based group blends traditional martial arts such as Karate and Tae Kwon Do, with gymnastics and acrobatics to create an extreme highflying display of talent, strength and stamina unlike anything else on the planet.
7:45 p.m. – Chicago Soul Review
Chicago Soul Revue is an authentic tribute to the classic soul of Motown, Memphis, Philly and Chicago.
We will take you on a voyage to the late sixties where Aretha Franklin was Queen and Motown was the “it” on the radio. If you love Bill Withers, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Clarence Carter and Aretha you’ll love CSR.
Wednesday, July 9
7 p.m. – Cold Blooded Creatures
Back by popular demand! Jim Nesci entertains while educating the audience about reptiles. See and touch 4 types of reptilians.
Southland Jazz Ensemble
Enjoy the best in classic jazz and hard driving swing by the finest big band in the Southland region. Currently in residence at Prairie State College, the group is made up of some of the most highly regarded musicians in the area.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 16
4th Annual DownTown District MidSummer Madness Celebration Starts at 5:00 p.m.!
Visit participating DownTown Businesses to qualify for fabulous raffle prizes. Register at Dining on the Green Banquet Hall, 349 Main Street, to start your adventure. FREE Event is open to all. FREE rides on two air-conditioned PACE Buses running up and down Main Street to help you reach all locations.Food Vendors, Lots of Fun & FREE Super Goodie Bag to First 100 attendees!
Main Street Nights immediately follows.
7 p.m. – Terrance Simien’s Creole For Kidz!
This innovative, high quality, multi-cultural program is centered on the evolution of zydeco music.
8 p.m. – Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience
For nearly 30 years, GRAMMY award winning artist Terrance Simien, 8th generation Louisiana Creole has been shattering the myths about what his indigenous Zydeco roots music is and is not. Leading his Zydeco Experience band, Simien has become one of the most respected and accomplished artists in American roots music today. He and his band mates have performed over 7000 concerts, toured millions of miles to over 45 countries during their eventful career.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 23
7 p.m. – Live Karaoke
Combining the silly fun of karaoke with the energy of a live rock band, Live Band Karaoke allows anyone to fulfill their rock and roll fantasy. Singing is only half the fun! Watching others perform as the band rocks out the songs true to the original recording. Live Band Karaoke provides lyric sheets for any song on the list. The lyrics are printed in large type so they are easier to read while singing. There are tons of songs to choose from providing something for everyone.
7:45 p.m. The Big Boppers
The Big Boppers were formed in 1989 by John Falstrom (bass guitar) and Frank Anastos (guitar/vocals) as a throwback to their days playing together in their local 1970’s Band "Midnight Express"—-The Big Boppers play the best Rock and Roll Music from the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s—-Rounding out The Big Boppers is "the dynamic" lead vocals of Fran Green and the "legendary" drumming of Artie Baldacci.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 30
7 p.m. – United We Drum
United We Drum is a free event celebrating the drum, led by Muntu Dance Theatre’s drum orchestra. Perfect for the whole family, it features presentations by diverse drummers and culminates in a festive open community drum and dance circle. So grab your drum or dancing shoes and join us for this uplifting event.
7:45 p.m. Mr. Myers
Mr. Myers blends the tropical sounds of calypso and ska, the rhythms of reggae and a little rock-n-roll with some favorite classic tunes to create their own special style of music – Caribbean Rock. Mr. Myers’ unique combination of musical styles may be difficult to define and perhaps challenging to play, but it never fails to entertain audiences everywhere, young and old. Their cleverly arranged cover tunes and energetic original songs get audiences on their feet in no time.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6
7 p.m. – The Blooze Brothers
Those wacky but soulful Blooze Brothers are on the loose again! This high powered choreographed 12-piece show band covers Motown, R&B, Soul, current favorites and of course the music and crazy antics of the famous original Blues Brothers. The Blooze Brothers Show Band perform to over 1/2 million excited fans per year. As headliners and/or working with names such as: the Supremes, Lonestar, Doobie Brothers, Weird Al Yankovic, ZZ Top…to name a few, the band has been acknowledged as the Nation’s #1 Blues Brothers tribute band!
Dusk – The Lego Movie
Emmet, an average LEGO is drafted on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared. Rated: PG, Time: 101 Minutes
If you would like more information about the Freedom Hall Series, please call Chuck Sabey at 708/503-8258 or e-mail Chuck at [email protected].
