Organizers hope 2021 event leads to new tradition
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
With ChocolateFest in the rearview mirror, organizers of this weekend’s Burlington Jamboree are hopeful the transitional event will provide a launching pad for a new Memorial Day weekend festival.
The Jamboree retains the same carnival that became a popular feature of ChocolateFest, which was last held in 2019. The new festival opens at 5 p.m. Friday and runs through Monday at the festival grounds along Maryland Avenue. Admission is free.
A beer tent with daily music and a 5/10-kilometer run on Sunday are among the activities included in this year’s Jamboree. There will not be fireworks, which had been a Friday night tradition with ChocolateFest.
Jamboree Chairman Bil Scherrer said the primary goal of this year’s event is to retain one of the best traveling carnivals in the country for a major holiday weekend and provide an outlet for a COVID-weary public.
He said he is also hopeful it will be successful enough to provide the seed money needed to take the Jamboree to a higher level in 2022 and beyond.
“We’ve got to rebuild and re-identify ourselves,” Scherrer said Tuesday from the festival grounds as crews from North American Midway Entertainment set up carnival rides. “We’re looking at all kinds of options.”
Scherrer was the longtime president of the ChocolateFest Board. In its 33-year run that festival became valued by the community for its ability to raise funds for the non-profit organizations that provided the volunteers needed to run the festival.
Scherrer said Jamboree organizers intend to meet with representatives of the area’s community service organizations to brainstorm ideas for future events after the 2021 festival is complete.
Anything is on the table, he said.
Among the ideas already bandied about, according to Scherrer, are a youth baseball tournament held in conjunction with the festival, a car show and additional musical acts.
The ability to plan for a grander festival future will hinge on the success of this year’s relatively modest event.
“If Mother Nature is good to us and people show up, then we can figure this out,” Scherrer said.
Jamboree activities
There will be plenty of carnival rides, games and food during the course of the weekend with the carnival offering $30 wristband deals daily for unlimited rides during certain time periods. The carnival will also sell Mega Bands on Friday and Saturday offering unlimited rides during the Jamboree for $55.
The Jamboree will open at 5 p.m. on Friday and at noon on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
The Burlington Lions Club Jamboree Beer Tent will feature live music with the Twin Rivers Band from 8 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, May 29.
At other times during the festival, the tent will feature disk jockeys playing tunes with themes ranging from classic rock to oldies, country and dance music.
The Chocoholic 5K/10K is slated to begin at 10 a.m. Sunday at Riverside Park. The entry fee for the 5K is $35 and for the 10K it is $40. Runners will receive a commemorative T-shirt or opt to forego the shirt and receive a $5 discount on registration.
The course will take runners along the Fox River from Riverside Park to Bushnell Park and back.
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