EDISON PARK — Big changes are on tap for the biggest party of the year in Edison Park, organizers said.
For the first time in more than 50 years, a parade will not take place on the second day of the Edison Park Fest, Aug. 15, organizers said.
Instead, a family workout organized by Park Ridge-based Legit Fit featuring body weight exercises, cardio and stretching will take place from 11 a.m.-noon on the 6600 block of Northwest Highway, organizers said.
The Family Fit Morning will take place in memory of Jim DelMedico, a former president of the Edison Park Chamber of Commerce who organized the Norwood Park Memorial Day and Edison Park Fest parades for more than 50 years.
DelMedico died in 2011, and the fest's parade was renamed in his honor to recognize his "tireless" work for the Edison Park community, according to the chamber's memorial website.
Northwest Highway will be closed from 10:45 a.m.-noon to accommodate the event, organizers said.
Registration is available online for the workout.
Also in the works is a new security plan to prevent teenagers from congregating at Olympia Park, 6566 N. Avondale Ave., and creating a disturbance, organizers said.
With a $5 donation requested at the entrance, Edison Park Fest raises money for the Edison Park Chamber of Commerce and a host of community events and projects, including community beautification efforts, the Santa Express, Edison Park Comedy Fest and restaurant week.
Sixteen Candles, which pays tribute to the songs of the 1980s, will headline the fest's main stage Aug. 16, while Wedding Banned — which specializes in covers of hits from the 1980s and 1990s — will headline Aug. 15 and Rod Tuffcurls and the Bench Press, which plays dance and rock covers, will play the fest's main stage Aug. 14.
Nine other bands will fill the streets of Edison Park with music during the day and evening from the main stage, while the family stage will feature a range of kid-friendly acts.
Performances on the festival's family stage from noon-3 p.m. Aug. 15 and 16 will include tae kwon do demonstrations, a comedy puppet show, magic, juggling and a reptile show.
Students from Resurrection College Prep High School will serve as masters of ceremonies on Aug. 15, and St. Patrick High School students will serve as masters of ceremonies on Aug. 16.
A pass for unlimited rides all weekend is $45, or a pass for rides from noon-2 p.m. Aug. 15 and 16 is $15 for each day. Food and beer will also be sold.
A bean bags tournament sponsored by Ignite the Spirit, which helps Chicago firefighters injured in the line of duty, will take place Aug. 16, and participants could win $2,500, organizers said.
The festival's fourth annual free basketball clinic hosted by Notre Dame College Prep will take place from 1:30-3 p.m. at Olympia Park.
Boys and girls entering sixth through eighth grades can register for the clinic online.
In addition, a business expo will take place at the festival from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 15 and 16. Businesses can register online.
A dog show will take place at 2 p.m. Aug, 16 at Olympia Park, and prizes will be awarded in a variety of categories. There is a $10 entry fee, and pups — and their humans — can register online.
Volunteers are also needed at the fest, and registration is available online.
Dogs and coolers are not allowed inside the festival, and large bags will be searched, organizers said.
The fest will take place from 5-11 p.m. Aug. 14 and from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Aug. 15 and 16 in downtown Edison Park.
Parking west of the Edison Park Metra Station will be closed at 7 a.m. Aug. 14 and reopen at midnight Aug. 17.
Oliphant Avenue will be closed from Avondale Avenue to Northwest Highway and Olmstead Avenue will be closed from Oshkosh to Olympia avenues from at 7 a.m. Aug. 14 and will reopen at midnight Aug. 17.
For more information, call 773-631-0063 or email at info@edisonpark.com.
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