Shelley Steinman had been thinking about the Zipper for at least the last month, she said, and now the day was here.
She peered up at the lit-up ride, which was hurtling a small group of teenagers though the air before returning them to the grounds of the Backlot Bash in an exhilarated state.
“This is my favorite ride,” she said while waiting in line. “It’s the first one I ride every year.”
She has been coming to the Backlot Bash in downtown Skokie for several years, she said. It’s now tradition for her and her friends, who live in Chicago.
“Have to come to the Backlot Bash,” she said.
So apparently do many others. Many thousands, in fact, came to downtown Skokie over last weekend’s three days of carnival rides, games, food and, of course, music. Music in the day. Music at night. Music for three straight days and nights.
“We’re here for our 10th year,” Park Board Commissioner Mike Reid told a large crowd awaiting the Blue Oyster Cult band on opening night Friday. “I can’t believe it’s been this long. Every year, it seems to get a little bit better.”
Organizers did not have attendance figures for the Bash’s three days, but some said they thought this year’s festival might have set a record.
The weather for the three days was mostly cooperative — not too hot, with most of the weekend rain falling outside the key Backlot Bash hours. Opening night on Friday was ideal — warm enough to wander the grounds without a jacket but mild enough so that building up an uncomfortable sweat was never an issue.
Reid explained to the crowd that the Backlot Bash name is a tribute to downtown Skokie’s use as a set for classic silent movies many years ago.
“Essany Studios, before there was a Hollywood, filmed Charlie Chaplin shorts over here plus a few westerns that got filmed over by Oakton and Lincoln,” he said. “This weekend, more than a hundred years later, we offer you a whole weekend of wonderful and diverse events.”
The Backlot Bash’s three days featured a classic car show, bingo, a sanctioned foot race, the Skokie Farmers Market, classic movie entertainment at the Skokie Theatre, live entertainment at the Skokie Public Library, a pancake breakfast and more.
Eighteen live bands played over the three days, Reid said.
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“Do we have enough time all weekend to do this stuff?” Reid asked after listing for the crowd what was on tap for the next two days and nights.
Hosts of the Backlot Bash were the Skokie Park District, the Village of Skokie, the Independent Merchants of Downtown Skokie (IMODS), Niles Township High School District 219, the Skokie Chamber of Commerce and the Skokie Public Library.
Waiting for Blue Oyster Cult to perform Friday, Jimmy Nelson of Chicago said he was planning on bringing his 1979 Pontiac Trans Am to the classic auto show the next day.
“I go to a lot of car shows, but I come here to see bands, too,” he said. “I’ve been coming here five years to bring my car and to listen to music.”
Nelson said he was planning to be back the next night to see headliner Living Colour perform on the same Backlot Bash main stage.
“I’m a car guy and a musician, so this is perfect,” he said. “When you’re this close to a good band, it’s great. Nice night on top of it, too. What more could you ask for?”
@SKReview_Mike