Maple Park resident Roger Kahl, who is in charge of the fireworks show on Sunday night, is a Department of Natural Resources licensed explosives expert. Kahl sets off the fireworks displays for other festivals in the area, including his most recent gig at Kaneville Fest the weekend of Aug. 29-30.

Kahl and his crew, including Allen Kahl and John Grommes, took the safety class 11 years ago through their employer, S&N Display Fireworks.

Some of their wives have taken the class as well, and they assist with unwrapping and loading shells, as well as clean-up.

The fireworks show is staged at Squire’s Crossing subdivision on County Line Road. It takes place Sunday night, starting at 8:30 p.m.

Back again at Fun Fest on Labor Day weekend is the Men’s Slo-Pitch Softball tournament at the Civic Center fields.

The games begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5. Sunday’s games start at 8 a.m. on Sept. 6, while the finals begin at 8 a.m. on Labor Day.

The tournament is double-elimination, with 14 teams signed up so far. First prize in the tournament is set for $350 dollars, with second place nabbing $250 and third place getting $150.

The 2008 version of the tournament was taken by AM Lumber over Those Guys.

The 11th annual Romp in the Park will likely feature cool temperatures for a second-straight year, with a high temperature only projected to reach 75 degrees.

The annual event, which takes place during the Maple Park Fun Fest on Saturday, Sept. 5, features two races.

At 8 a.m., the 5K kicks off at the corner of Washington and Kane streets. Last year’s 5K winner was Scott Peterson with a time of 19:46.

The 5K features seven age groups: under 15, 15-18, 19-25, 26-35, 36-50, 51-60, and 61 and over.

The two-mile walk/run gets going right after the 5K, at 8:10 a.m.

The two-mile walk/run has four age groups: under 14, under 30, under 60, and 60 and over.

The 5K entry fee is $10, or $13 on race day. The 2-mile walk/run is $7, or $10 on race day.

Race-day signup runs from 7 to 7:50 a.m.

The first 100 registrants will get a free Romp in the Park T-shirt. All participants receive a ribbon.

For more information on the event or to register, visit www.villageofmaplepark.com/romp_ in_the_park.pdf. A signature from a parent or guardian is needed for anyone under 18.

According to organizer Cathy Lay, between 45 and 50 crafters and vendors will attend, with crafts from embroidered towels, jewelry, crocheted items, wood crafts and ceramics, to vendors with products from companies such as Tastefully Simple and many others.

“There are a lot more people from Maple Park (this year),” Lay said.

Lay started out participating in the show several years ago, selling Tupperware, before she took over coordinating the event.

She said the word-of-mouth has spread to crafty people everywhere, and crafters are also coming from places such as Crystal Lake, Genoa, Hinckley and Huntley.

The show will take place on Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Main and Pleasant streets.

“Every year, they look like they’re going to wipe out everybody (no pun intended),” Mundinger said.

But they have yet to win a race. Last year, the honors went to Da Bears, who wore hard hats and Bears jerseys as they handily defeated The Terdminators.

The race will take place on Saturday, Sept. 5, beginning at 1 p.m. in front of the American Legion building on Main Street. Participants will race their toilets east down Main Street, maneuvering around plastic traffic pylons.

Racers consist of a toilet and a no larger than three-foot-by-three-foot platform. Teams must include three members, two people pushing and one atop the commode.

A prize is given for the top three winners of the race, as well as for the most original commode or costumes, American Legion Postmaster Mundinger said. The first-place racer wins a $100 cash award, with second and third receiving $50 and $25, respectively. The most creative group wins a $100 cash prize.

The winners will also lead the Fun Fest parade, behind the Legion color guard.

There are only a few rules associated with the race. No motorized racers of any type are allowed, and no profanity will be allowed, as this is a family event.

Other than that, Mundinger said people should let their imaginations run wild. A low-end toilet can be found at a store for $60, but sometimes just driving down the street on garbage day can net you a treasure from someone’s front yard. One team in recent years used a stainless steel toilet they obtained from a prison in Lombard. Plumbers are another good source.

Charles Thalman, the originator of the Maple Park Toilet Bowl Challenge, said he heard of the idea from friends who had a similar race at their church in Effingham, Ill.

The race has been such a success, that it is back for the fifth year in a row. For a look at footage of past races, Mundinger has put together a video on YouTube. However, the Elburn Herald cautions that the lyrics of the accompanying music may not be suitable for children (or sensitive adults).

Participants may sign up at www.post312 maplepark.org.

For more information, call (630) 774-9288.

“We have the whole nine yards,” Legion member Keith Nickels said.

Among the breakfast’s many offerings are fruit, scrambled eggs, French toast, bacon, sausage, and biscuits and gravy.

Nickels said the event usually has a strong attendance, particularly between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m., during the softball tournament at the Community Center.

It takes about 30 Legion members to host the breakfast, some cooking, some serving.

The cost is $8, and $6 for those 10 and younger. The Legion hall is located at 203 Main St., Maple Park.

Kids will get a chance to “Touch A Truck” at the fire station as part of the Maple Park Fun Fest on Labor Day weekend.

“This is a chance to get up close to a helicopter or maybe a cannon. It’s something you don’t get a chance to do every day,” said Fire Chief Kevin Peterson of the Maple Park Fire Department.

Scheduled to take place from 2 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, area fest-goers can see what makes a local fire truck or ambulance tick.

Fun Fest planners are also looking to secure a National Guard vehicle and a Lifeline helicopter, used to airlift patients to hospitals.

Peterson said the exhibit will kick off before the Saturday parade.

Bands like CAOZZ, Red Woody, Methodist Church praise band, Back Country Roads, Miller Hometown Band, and Hi Infidelity will light up the stage in Maple Park from Friday, Sept. 4, through Sunday, Sept. 6.

CAOZZ, featuring Brian Stover, takes the stage on Friday, Sept. 4, at 6:30 p.m.

The five-person unit will come off a pre-game performance on Aug. 1 at U.S. Cellular Field before the White Sox game. Based in St. Charles, the band features anything from Stevie Ray Vaughan to Lenny Kravitz.

Local act Red Woody takes control on Friday at 8:30 p.m. Now in its 10th year, “Red Woody is a high energy cover band specializing in ’70s, ’80s,’90s and ’00s radio rock hits,” according to redwoody.com.

Playing anywhere from MVP’s Street Dance in Sycamore to Starbuster’s in DeKalb, Red Woody is made up of Matt Miller on vocals, Keith Beebe on guitar, Ron McConkey on drums, Doug Wielert on bass, John Stephenson on guitar, Stan Dembowski on guitar and Cyril Wochok on guitar.

The group is fresh off a performance at Elburn Days.

On Saturday, the Methodist Church praise band will offer its musical stylings.

On Saturday at 3 p.m., Back Country Roads takes hold of the stage with its co-ed brand of acoustic country. Based out of DeKalb, Mary Noren, Kyle Miller and Brian Miller look to sing the tunes from acts like Dierks Bentley to Miranda Lambert.

From Linda Ronstadt to Eric Clapton, Miller’s Hometown Band continues to thrill audiences with its old-fashioned harmonies and multi-layered vocals.

Taking the stage at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Pat Miller on keyboard and vocals, Miller’s Hometown Band is comprised of Kevin Miller on drums, harmonica and vocals, Mary Ann Miller on percussion and vocals, Brien Prenevost on guitar and vocals, Ernie Uebel on saxophones, percussion and vocals, and Dave Miller on bass guitar and vocals. 

Virgil Neace, Brad Hollands, Gary Scofield, Jim Warren, Dave Mikulskis and Bobby Scumaci make up the Chicago staple Hi Infidelity, bellowing out the tunes at 9 p.m. on Saturday. Available at www.hiinfidelity.com, the band plays numerous festivals and hits venues like Walter Payton’s Roundhouse.

Booth coordinator Roger Kahl said he makes sure that the Fun Fest’s food is from local providers, and that each offers something different.

“That way, everybody makes a buck,” Kahl said.

Food and beverages will be available at three different places during the festival: at the Community Center, at booths on Main Street, and at the American Legion Hall.

At the Community Center, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, the Maple Park Boy Scouts Venture Crew will sell bratwurst, bratwurst patties, hamburgers, chips and candy; and from noon to late afternoon, the Methodist Church will sell baked potatoes stuffed with the patron’s choices among chili, cheese, bacon and broccoli.

Throughout the event at the booths set up on Main Street, festival goers may buy pizza slices from Bootlegger’s Pizza; rib-eye sandwiches, butterflied pork chop sandwiches, hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches from Sycamore Country Store; Polish sausage and sauerkraut from St. Mary Catholic Church; pie from St. Vincent DePaul; Culver’s frozen custard from the Maple Park Lions Club; and pulled-pork sandwiches, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs and bratwurst from the American Legion.

The American Legion will offer the same food selections at the beer garden in the parking lot next to the Legion Hall. Pat Mundinger and other Legion volunteers will roast two hogs for the event.

Also at the beer garden, Miller and Miller Lite beer will be on tap. Children are welcome in the beer garden if they are accompanied by a parent, Mundinger said. Attendees must show an I.D. and obtain a bracelet before purchasing alcohol in the beer gardens.

The beer gardens will be open from 4 to about 11:30 p.m. Friday and noon to midnight on Saturday.

The parade will step off at 6 p.m., traveling from the lineup area on Ashton Drive east to Broadway Street, north to Main Street, west to County Line Road, and north to Ashton.

Check-in for parade participants is at 5 p.m.

Parade co-coordinator Brittany Altepeter said the event will have more than 60 entries this year. Sign-up will continue until the day before the parade, with applications available at A & P Grain System, 410 S. County Line Road, Maple Park.

Among this year’s parade participants are new businesses Honest Automotive and Zobie’s Artworks. Returning to the event are many familiar entrants, including a spectator favorite, KC Corn Growers.

“They are always a big crowd pleaser. They have go-carts modified to look like ears of corn,” Altepepter said.

Other popular entries that will be featured again include Marlyn’s Majorettes.

The Maple Park Lions Club, whose representatives typically drive golf carts in the parade, is doing something different for this year’s event. Members will ride in a hayrack pulled by an antique John Deere tractor owned by Ed Weydert.

Altepeter is organizing the parade with Melissa Brady. The pair stepped in to assume the responsibility that Marianne Delaney held for many years, until she passed away in 2008.