The forecast in downtown Glen Ellyn Saturday wasn't hazy at all, despite the darkening skies and light, rainy mist that threatened an otherwise pleasant midafternoon.
By 2 p.m., a few hundred people had gathered on Main Street south of the train tracks, clearly expecting an afternoon and evening filled with cool, smooth, traditional and big-band style jazz, courtesy of the second annual Jazz Fest Glen Ellyn.
“I myself like Henry Johnson," said fest-goer Terry Smith, of Chicago, who stood in the midst of a tangle of camp chairs where she and her friends from Hyde Park planned to listen. “I just heard him and I said, 'I need to hear him again.' It's very melodic, it's smooth. I don't really use terms like contemporary. It's just great jazz."
Raffel said the arts center, along with the college's public radio station, WDCB, the Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce and the Karnes Prickett Design firm worked together to bring the festival to Main Street for the second consecutive year.
“The intent of the program is to bring people downtown so you can see the stores that we have, enjoy the music and some really interesting food," said Mike Formento, chamber executive director. “We're expecting to have about 2,500 people attend this event during the course of the seven hours."
For more information contact All About Jazz.
