Mascots featured at Easter Seals benefit during Tinley Summer Fest
By Steve Metsch smetsch@southtownstar.com August 19, 2012 10:40PM
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Updated: September 21, 2012 6:07AM
Can Chicago Wolves mascot Skates dance better than Chuck E. Cheese?
And what of Sky Guy?
Can he trip the light fantastic or is he a wallflower?
We’ll find out when they are joined by mascots from businesses and Chicago-area sports teams for a dance contest at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the second annual Tinley Summer Fest.
The daylong event is a fundraiser for Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago and will be held on the grounds of the Easter Seals’ Autism Therapeutic School, 17300 S. Ozark Ave., from noon to 10 p.m.
The dance contest is just part of the fun. There will be games for kids and families, food booths, a beer tent and live music, organizers Kelly Anne Ohde and Jason Daumann said.
“Our kids love the big oversized mascots. Last year, we called all the teams we could find and said, ‘Can we borrow your mascot for the day?’ ” Daumann said.
Sparky, from the Chicago Fire, was joined by Sky Guy and Chuck E. Cheese last year.
This year, mascots from the Gary Rail Cats and Chicago Rush will be included along with one from Bathfitters, “a man in a giant bathtub,” Ohde said.
The entertainment lineup starts with the Easter Seals’ own resident disc jockey, DJ Ronnie Ron; Acoustic Disorder, a rock duo; Fairview, an alternative rock band; and Almost Famous featuring Johnny Monaco from the 1980s rock band Enuff Z’nuff. Almost Famous takes the stage at 6:30 p.m.
The fest tries to raise funds for local Easter Seals services and promote awareness of issues affecting the disabled community.
“Tinley Summer Fest is an opportunity for families, friends, neighbors and colleagues to team up for a common purpose, to help individuals with disabilities in the local area,” F. Timothy Muri, Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago president and CEO, said in a prepared statement.
Admission is $5 per person or $20 for a family. If you buy an entry ticket, you are entered in a raffle for a Chicago “staycation” at the Palmer House, Daumann said.
For more information, visit www.tinleysummerfest.com or call (708) 802-9050.
