A hip-hop legend is headlining Elgin’s fourth annual Love on the Lawn music festival.
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Presented by Mike Page and Impossible Dreamz Music Group, Love on the Lawn is from 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30, at downtown Festival Park and will be headlined by Kid Capri. Tickets cost $27.12.
Kid Capri is a noted hip-hop artist, producer and DJ best known for serving as the house DJ for the HBO series, “Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam,” for seven seasons. He has a new single out called “Live From New York.”
Chicago comedian Tiera O’Leary, known professionally as My Cousin Tiera, will serve as host. She performed in February at The Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin.
“She’s a comedian on the rise right now, she’s awesome,” Page said. “She’s got such great energy around her. I think she’s going to be a great host at Love on the Lawn.”
Other acts scheduled include DJ Slugo, DJ Sundance, DJ Rodney Boogie, DJ CZR and DJ Khaaliq. There will be a special performance by Lenny Williams.
Elgin Mayor Dave Kaptain will issue a proclamation that the day will be known as Love on the Lawn Day, Page said.
“That’s a really big accomplishment for me and my team,” he said. “I’m really happy for us. It brought tears to my eyes.
“This year is going to be our biggest year yet. I feel really good about it.”
Page was born and raised in Elgin and now lives in Atlanta. He brought the Love on the Lawn Festival to Elgin as a love letter to where he got his start.
“I didn’t want to leave my hometown behind,” he said.
Page got the idea to bring Kid Capri to Elgin after seeing him perform at an event in Atlanta headlined by Cee Lo Green about a year and a half ago, he said.
“When Kid Capri got up there, I kid you not, from the time he started to the time the finished, there were 4,000 people standing up. It was incredible,” he said. “I thought, you know what? My town’s got to feel this energy. I’ve got to bring this energy to them. When I looked at all the people dancing and how good they were feeling, I said, I’ve got to bring this to Elgin.”
He approached Kid Capri’s team immediately after the show to express his interest in bringing him to Elgin. It was important to bring high-quality entertainment, Page said.
“Both my grandmas are still alive, my grandpa’s 91 years old. They don’t want to go to Chicago to go to events. They want to go right around the corner from where they all live,” he said. “I’m just so happy I can make that happen for them.”
There will be a beer garden, food trucks and a kids area as well, he said, making the day family friendly.
“We are calling it the biggest family reunion in Illinois,” he said. “It’s for you to come out and see someone you haven’t seen since seventh grade. It’s a perfect weekend too.”
The Kids Zone is free and activities include slides, basketball, face painting, free haircuts and a backpack giveaway. The School of Rock-Elgin will be on hand doing giveaways and signing kids up for after-school music program.
There will be nearly two dozen food vendors offering a wide variety of cuisines: including jerk, vegan soul food, fish, barbecue, Southern, Mexican, Greek and American fare.
Fest attendance has climbed from 500 the first year to 3,400 the second year to 5,400 last year. His goal is to hit 10,000, and he thinks this is the year to make that happen with Kid Capri headlining.
“It’s like the saying, if (you) build it, they will come,” he said. “We are building it. It’s really something to look forward to. And this is Mike Page talking to Elgin — this is ours. We’ve got something that’s ours now.”
Jennifer Fukala, executive director of the Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin, has worked with Page on promoting the event. The Downtown Neighborhood Association is the business-support agency that works with the city of Elgin.
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“I think it’s really exciting whenever we have a successful recurring event like this,” she said. “I think it’s great having this kind of attraction on Labor Day weekend for a community like Elgin and I’m glad to see it doing well and the community and people from the surrounding areas really seem to come out for it.”
She attended last year and had a good time, she said.
“It was a really great vibe and people seemed to be enjoying it,” she said. “We encourage people coming to the event to visit downtown bars and restaurants afterwards and before. Come down and explore.”
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.