Great weather, popular band, big crowd make Uniquely Thursdays' finale a success
The band 7th Heaven always draws a crowd at Uniquely Thursdays, and last week's final concert of the summer was no exception. Delaney Devine, 13 focuses on breaking the board at the Premier Martial Arts table. Glen Gonzalez of Azteca Catering, a longtime vendor at Uniquely Thursdays, cooks up some beef. Melissa Waters takes a quick selfie of beer tent volunteers Mike Field (from left), Bob Smith, Jim Slonoff and Jake Singletary in between serving customers. (Jim Slonoff photos)
Thirty minutes before 7th Heaven is scheduled to take the stage at the final Uniquely Thursdays concert of the season, chairs and blankets already have filled a good portion of Burlington Park. Many of their owners are in front of the food trucks parked along Chicago Avenue between Garfield Avenue and Washington Street, looking to indulge in some pirogies, barbecue, pizza, tacos, snow cones and other items.
Some folks are waiting in line for a cold beverage at the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce beer tent.
"Can I help someone? Who's thirsty?" Mike Field says from the beer tent, which is staffed by volunteers. "Don't be shy - come back early and often."
Field has been a Uniquely Thursdays volunteer since the first concert series 22 years ago - before the event moved from First Street to Burlington Park and before his wife, Eva, became chamber president and CEO. The whole operation was much smaller then.
"The first night we made $600 and we were dancing around the table in the conference room (at the chamber office) because we made money," he said.
Proceeds from the beer tent - which also sells wine, hard seltzer and ready-to-drink cocktails - help pay for the band and other expenses the chamber incurs. And the chamber members who volunteer to staff the tent seem to really enjoy the work.
"I love talking with people," says Melissa Waters, who has been volunteering in the tent for about five years.
"We're the happy tent. They buy from over there," she says, pointing to the other chamber tent where people are carded, receive a wristband and buy drink tokens. "We just give out the beer and wine."
People seem to be happy wherever you look. One little girl is thrilled with her food truck purchase.
"Dada, look!" she shouts to her dad. "I got Dippin' Dots."
Alexis Braden, a Hinsdale resident and trustee, is at the event with her mom, Cheryl Dinjian, who is here from California for her annual summer visit.
"I love Hinsdale," Dinjian says. "It's just the most wonderful town I've ever been in."
The two enjoy shopping in town and had plans to return to Burlington Park Sunday for the annual ice cream social. Uniquely Thursdays also is a regular part of the visit.
"We try to come every time," Dinjian says.
Eva Field said she has gotten to know many attendees at the event since she started working for the chamber in 2004 as a part-time assistant director. She's been helping to plan the event ever since, and doesn't hesitate when asked what she enjoys most.
"Seeing all the people season after season," said Field, who became president and CEO in 2018. "We've made so many friends there."
In addition to the beer tent and food trucks, the event is home to tables and tents staffed by businesses who sponsor the event. A long line of kids is in front of the Premier Martial Arts table, waiting for the opportunity to break a board. Some of the kids are still in uniforms after attending private school or playing in a soccer game.
Other kids - including Braden's third-grader, Genevieve - are on the lawn in front of the Memorial Building, playing ball, running, doing cartwheels and rolling down the hill. Some are tossing the free flying discs and beach balls that event sponsors have distributed.
The scene is fairly chaotic, and one dad is on his cell phone calling his kid, trying to figure out where he is.
"Stop walking," he said. "I see you."
A little after 6:30 p.m., 7th Heaven begins to play. The band, which has performed at Uniquely Thursdays for at least 15 years, has quite a following. Many fans are clustered close to the stage as the group performs original songs and covers.
"They bring it on - that's for sure," Eva Field said. "For sure they bring the crowd."
The crowd consists of some harder rockers - one with a partially shaved head and blue hair - and Hinsdale residents, with plenty of families with small children and lots of dogs. Some parties have set up small tables with tablecloths and have transported their dinner in fancy picnic baskets, which others are eating a piece of pizza off a paper plate. Many run across someone they know at what feels like a giant block party.
But not everyone is a participant or volunteer. Several village employees from the public works and the police departments are on hand to help with set-up and take-down and to maintain order. Their participation is every bit as important as the band that comes to play, according to beer tent volunteer (and The Hinsdalean co-owner) Jim Slonoff.
"The whole reason for Uniquely Thursdays is the chamber wanted to have an event the community could take part in," he said. "The most important piece of this is we get the full support of the village. This wouldn't be possible without that support."
Eva Field agreed and said working with the village has been beneficial.
"It really helped to form a strong relationship with the Village of Hinsdale and it's team," she said.
She appreciates equally how community members patronize the event and how the event bolsters the community.
"The community really supports it - and it puts Hinsdale on the map," she said.
