An Early Look at August's Montgomery Fest

Monday night was a chilly one in . But village trustees ignored the cold and cast their minds forward to a warmer time – specifically, August 11 and 12, the dates for this year’s Montgomery Fest.

You may think it’s too early to start thinking about the fest, which traditionally comes near the end of summer. But an event of this magnitude takes months of planning, which is what the Intergovernmental Committee—made up of all six trustees—has been doing.

This year’s festival will not be drastically changed from last year’s, if the current plans are any indication. Trustees on Monday agreed to engage Big H Amusements of Fairbury to provide carnival rides, as they have for years. They agreed to work with S&N Display Fireworks of Lincoln, who has provided the climactic fireworks display for 20 years.

There will be the traditional parade, and the usual performances by local bands. Trustees discussed which bands will fill those slots, and what genres of music they will perform. (“As long as they don’t play rock music,” said Trustee Denny Lee.) And they agreed to send tri-fold Montgomery Fest brochures to residents in their water bills.

However, trustees did discuss two new elements that will likely make their way into the 2012 Montgomery Fest. First, Deputy Village Clerk Ruth Maloy and her husband will host a bags tournament, for which they would charge an entry fee, and award the money collected to the winner.

And second, at the suggestion of Trustee Stan Bond, the village will host a talent show. Bond emphasized that this would not be a talent competition, and no prizes or places would be awarded. In Bond’s words, such an event would be “to showcase talent that Montgomery residents might enjoy watching.”

The show would be open to anyone of any age, and hopeful participants would have to apply and audition before a panel of judges. The show itself will likely include 12 performers, each getting about four minutes of stage time.

Details are still being hammered out, but trustees—and Village President Marilyn Michelini—gave their support to the idea.

Montgomery Fest is entirely paid for through sponsorships, according to Lee. Organizers hope for $37,000 to put on the fest, and plan for $34,000, he said. More details on Montgomery Fest will be reported as they become available.