Community Corner
Against All Odds, Stars of Hope Festival Carried On
Despite a last minute change in plans, organizers of the Stars of Hope festival put on a spectacular event on Saturday night at Campbell Football Field in Yorkville.
The Stars of Hope festival is an annual event to celebrate and remember those lost due to suicide. All proceeds from the event are donated to Suicide Prevention Services of America.
Traditionally, sky lanterns are launched at the event in remembrance of suicide victims. However, the state of Illinois officially banned sky lanterns on May 28th, just four days before the festival.Â
Organizers of the event scrambled to figure out what to do. At first, they tried to appeal to the Illinois State Fire Marshall to ask to be grandfathered in for one last sky lantern festival. They also appealed to local politicians, Governor Quinn, and even President Obama.Â
Unfortunately, nothing could be done to allow the sky lantern launch to continue. Instead, festival organizers quickly came up with an alternative plan. The boxes of sky lanterns were returned and, in their place, glowing LED balloons and luminaria kits were ordered.Â
The change in plans didn't deter people from attending, nor did the threat of rain. The festival had a large turnout of supporters on Saturday night.Â
The event featured various performances, local vendors selling food, music, and more. Attendees could remember loved ones by writing messages in sidewalk chalk and/or signing the Volkswagen "Hope" Beetle - a white car that could be drawn on with markers.Â
The main feature of the festival were the glow balloon and luminaria kits, which could be purchased for a $20 donation to SPS. Markers were provided to decorate the luminarias, which were then placed around the track at the football field.Â
At the end of the event, attendees were given two options - to either release their balloons into the air, or to walk with their balloons in a lap around the track in remembrance of loved ones lost to suicide.Â
