Naperville Last Fling 2003 - Even better than last year

I’m more than willing to put up with the endless jibes from co-workers who live in Chicago — Naperville, they claim, might as well be in Iowa for its distance from Chicago. (It’s 33 miles away if you must know.)

But if you’re raising a family, I can’t really imagine that there’s a better place to live. It has the feel of small suburb — with fantastic schools, incredible restaurants, and a downtown Riverwalk that other states travel to in an effort to figure out how to duplicate it.

And if that isn’t enough, there’s the music. Two major festivals dominate Naperville each year — Last Fling and RibFest. And the musical acts that perform are anything but small-town suburban fare. Read last year’s post for more on who performed there (and my wife’s annoyance at the Google Juice this site gets) in 2002; this year we have The Connells and Better than Ezra tonight, and Soul Asylum and They Might Be Giants tomorrow. (And yes, there’s the inevitable 80s revival band on Labor Day — this year it’s Night Ranger.) (Did I mention we had Hootie & the Blowfish at Ribest this year? And Blondie? And Los Lobos?)

So yes, we’re looking forward to a fun weekend. Tonight’s music is free; tomorrow they charge a whopping $5. Did I mention this was all within walking distance of our house? So we’ll be able to spread the blanket out, let the kids dance, and enjoy some great music in a great town.

(No, I’m not on the chamber of commerce.)

And if you’re in the neighborhood, be on the lookout for several dozen Dean supporters who will be marching in the Labor Day parade on Monday. Yes, Jane — there are Democrats in DuPage County. And we’ve got some fun surprises planned.

Happy Labor Day weekend!