The Naperville Jaycees’ Last Fling has kicked off along the Riverwalk in Downtown Naperville. The Labor Day weekend event has fun for the whole family, as those in the Naperville community say farewell to summer.
“We have carnival rides, we have food, we have beverages and we have music,” said Beth DeGeeter, co-chair of the Naperville Jaycees Last Fling. “And so we have something for everyone, young and young and old. The food vendors have funnel cakes to hot dogs to giant nachos with cheese and just all the unhealthy things you can put on a plate and they put it on some fries.
Jackson Avenue is lined with tents featuring different food vendors and businesses from the surrounding area.
“My favorite part (of my job) is doing the festivals,” said Dan Cooper of Papa Fresco’s in Aurora. “The festivals are a great time, a lot of great people, good music, it’s just a fun environment. We like cooking food, so that’s what we look forward to.”
We’re having a lot of fun here at the Fling,” said Dennis Polanski from World Class Tae Kwon Do. “Looking forward to getting some fresh air, some sunshine, and meeting some great Naperville people.”
The four-day fest is a result of the efforts of the Naperville Jaycees, a local group dedicated to philanthropy and volunteerism.
“We have an amazing committee that works very hard throughout the year. We welcome anyone who wants to participate. If you’d like to join the Jaycees, and you can help us run this event as well. It’s really fun. What we see over the weekend just makes all the hard work we put into it worth it.”
Admission to the event is free. Tickets for carnival rides can be purchased at ticket booths on Jackson Avenue. A full rundown of ticket prices, music performances and other activities can be found on the Last Fling website.
The event runs through Monday, and will be topped off by a Labor Day Parade that starts at 10 a.m. at Naperville North High School. It will wind its way through downtown, ending at Naperville Central High School. NCTV17 will stream the parade LIVE both on our channel and our Facebook page.
Proceeds from the Last Fling are given to non-profit organizations in the Naperville community and throughout DuPage County. Over the past 20 years of the Last Fling, the Naperville Jaycees have raised over $2 million.
“Our mission as Jaycees is leadership through community service,” said DeGeeter. “So we actually have the opportunity to receive grants from various charities such as WDRSA and Loaves and Fishes. So we go from all different types of needs just to round out our community and make it better.”
Reporting for Naperville News 17, I’m Will Payne.
