Tom Rodak was surprised at how well his Darien VFW post did in selling raffle tickets in half the time it normally does.
With Darienfest being reduced from its usual three days this year due to budget issues, Rodak and his fellow Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2838 members were not sure what to expect with their annual 50/50 raffle ticket sales.
The Lemont resident, who has been part of the post for more than 10 years, said the veterans organization was able to do $2,200 in ticket sales this year, not far off the $3,000 or so the veterans normally sell in tickets.
“We did well considering we only did about a day and a half of sales,” said Rodak, an Army veteran.
While the entertainment, food, and Business Expo at Darienfest was reduced from three days to one day this year, the carnival went for all three days. VFW post members were present part of Friday’s carnival, but only did about $300 in raffle ticket sales.
But booming Saturday sales got the post fundraiser back on track.
“We normally do over $3,000 so (the reduction to one day) did affect us,” Rodak said.
He attributed the better-than-average sales of $1,900 on Saturday to people knowing the ticket sales’ duration had been reduced and coming ready to buy.
Rodak said the post would be in favor of going back to a three-day festival in order to increase raffle ticket sales.
“The longer you sell for, the more you make,” he said.
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Fellow post member Rod Avery said he understood the reason for cutting back on the festival this year, but also said it would nice for the event to once again be three days.
“I was surprised at how good the traffic was at our booth during the music,” said Avery, a former Marine.
The festival was reduced this year when the city of Darien said it could not provide public services for the event without being compensated by the Chamber of Commerce, sponsor of the annual event.
Being one of two food vendors at the festival this year, Chuck’s Southern Comforts Cafe had a steady flow of patrons Saturday night. Business was so good that the Darien restaurant ran out of the more than 20 pounds of rib tips it had brought to sell.
“It was busier than I thought it was going to be,” senior manager Tim Keenan said. “It’s different only being one day, but with only two food vendors being here we’ve definitely benefited.”
Zazzo’s Pizzeria was the other food vendor at the festival this year.
Keenan said he doesn’t have a preference on whether the festival stays one day or goes back to three days.
“I get it. I guess there were budget cuts this year. We benefited from three days. We are probably going to benefit from one day too because this is the night that everyone wants to come out and the weather has been really good and they have really good bands.”
Keenan said he pared down the offerings a little from past Darienfests “not wanting to bring the whole kitchen here for one day,” but still provided a menu of six different main dish items.
He said with Chuck’s being in town for more than three years now, people know the restaurant and its offerings.
“We love being in this community and people, I think, know us a lot better than when we first did this three years ago,” Keenan said. “People definitely recognize us now, ‘Oh, Chuck’s is here.'”
Playing air guitar as Hi Infidelity rocked the REO Speedwagon hit “Roll With the Changes,” Adrianne Kasper enjoyed the entertainment with her husband and sons.
The Darien resident said she has been coming to the community festival for four years and would like to see the event return to its three-day run.
“We would come all three days,” Kasper said. “I love the music.”
Kevin Beese is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.