long grove show

Replies

Robert Wallis May 22, 2014 at 10:44pm

I bailed out last year after half the show was made up of photographers and jewelers. I didn't get a response from the new organizers when I received an invite to apply and asked a few questions. I didn't know at the time who the organizers were, but now that I see the organizers are Chicago Events, you can stick a fork in it and call it done. The combination of a depressed town with empty stores and a known inept organizer spells the death for this show. Any show Chicago Events runs is going to make money for the hot dog and beer vendors. Their formula is loud music entertainment and lots of beer, with the artists serving as monkeys in the cage. Save your money and don't commit to anything they do.

You might do a search on here for Long Grove and see how badly the show has been reviewed in the past.
Amy Ikenn May 20, 2014 at 1:57pm

Don't know the group, but it is the first year they are running Long Grove. I live about 5 minutes from there and stopped doing this show years ago, it has been in a steady decline. It was run by the local school (where my kids attended) and that was part of the problem as was the fact that they were pairing it with a wine festival.

Long Grove used to be a destination town, great for little boutiques and cute places to eat. The weekends were packed. Now a large percent of the buildings are empty, and the traffic is only heavy during the many festivals. My favorite Italian place has survived :). Just yesterday my friend was telling me that last year they were charging a gate fee... that definitely didn't help.

If they do this right the show could be built back up, but there are a ton of other art fairs in the area all summer. More important, the Lincolnshire show is the same weekend and it is really the same community (both towns send kids to the same high school). Lincolnshire is an Amdur show.
- James Williams > Amy Ikenn May 20, 2014 at 4:35pm
  
  Thanks so much. I did it 10 yrs. back and am reluctant to revisit.
  
  I can't convince myself that Amdur is worth it but am occasionally tempted.