This year’s four-day Island in the City Festival from July 11-14 drew more than 45,000 people to the Norridge Park District’s grounds, according to its executive director, Annemarie Flaherty of Arlington Heights.
“The Island in the City Festival is the event the whole community looks forward to. It is the Norridge Park District, it is the community, the Village of Norridge, Harwood Heights, the surrounding communities, and everybody looks forward to it every year of coming together,” she said.
On Saturday, natives of the area who have moved away returned for the fest.
“I love it, that’s one of the best things when we hear people that come in and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I played little league here, I used to play football over here,’ and that they come back to here, their heart is still here and that’s what we want,” Flaherty said.
“We want people that live here as well as people that participated in programs and activities before, and they come back because they remember the memories and how much it meant to them.”
Coming back to home turf was Demetrios Konstantopoulos of Elmhurst, who was raised in Harwood Heights. Konstantopoulos attended Pennoyer School, Class of 1998, in Norridge and is of the Class of 2002 at Maine South High School in Park Ridge.
“I grew up in Norridge Park,” Konstantopoulos recounted. “We played basketball inside, basketball outside, went swimming, football over here, it was fun.
“My parents still live in Harwood Heights.”
Konstantopoulos brought sons Vasilios, 10, a rising fifth-grader and twins Demetrios and Thanasis, 7, rising second-graders to the festival.
“They love the rides, they love the food,” he added.
Saturday’s early evening weather included a wind and rain. The wind caused signage on one food stand to blow down but the signs and rods were swiftly reassembled and the food show went on.
Sieb Field had its itinerary of entertainment all four days at the fest location, the Norridge Park District grounds at 4631 N. Overhill Ave., along West Lawrence Avenue.
Giving a thumbs up to a friend’s child who was riding the kiddie train on Saturday was Vanesa Albizurez of Gladstone Park.
Growing up in Chicago, “We’d come to the carnival every year,” Albizurez said of residing in the Norridge/Harwood Heights environs during youth.
“It’s a great area. My friend lives close to the area, so she was the one that told us about the carnival, and we come every year, and we have a great time with the kids,” Albizurez said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Cali Quinton, 6, a rising first-grader from Chicago’s Gladstone Park neighborhood, and Jack Goudie, 7, a rising second-grader from Norridge, took a kiddie motorcycle ride together.
“We love coming here every year; all of the rides are fun,” said Cali’s mother Cassandra Quinton.
“We can’t wait to eat some funnel cake.”
Amy Goudie, Jack’s mother, said the family was, “having a lot of fun.
“It’s right down the street,” Amy Goudie said of Island in the City Festival. “It’s great.”
