Graylake`s first-ever Summer Days was a four-day festival that had everything from Civil War soldiers to Elvis Presley.
Dressed in a studded black jumpsuit, Elvis impersonator Bob Bradshaw of Park City added a touch of Vegas glitz to last weekend`s big parade, which was 70 units long. Bradshaw was recruited for the occasion by parade organizer Sharon Johnson of Grayslake. Johnson had met Bradshaw through a mutual acquaintance.
”He was out there, mowing the lawn, and suddenly he broke into a song,” she said. Bradshaw sang his way down the parade route, accompanied by an instrumental soundtrack of Elvis tunes.
After the parade, a group of men dressed in Civil War uniforms re-created a battle scene on the grounds of Grayslake`s Central Park. The authenticity of the scene was marred somewhat by the incongruously glittering lights of the carnival rides in the background.
The festival in Central Park also included games, pig races, camel and pony rides, a petting zoo, lots of food and four nights of live entertainment. For those not faint of heart, there was also bungee jumping, the latest fad at summer fairs and festivals. ”I`ve had a lot of people offer to pay me to do it, but there`s no way,” Grayslake Mayor Marvin Smith said emphatically.
The festival drew moderately sized crowds the first two evenings, and much bigger crowds on Friday and Saturday, said Tim Rafferty, treasurer of the Grayslake Chamber of Commerce, which sponsored the event.
Although Grayslake has had its share of smaller festivals over the years, this is the first time the village has attempted anything on this scale. ”It all started a couple of months ago as a way to try to get the merchants involved, and it just grew from there,” said Johnson.