







by BRIAN NADIG

The North Mayfair Improvement Association is planning its first street festival, called "Cider and Sliders," to be held during the Labor Day weekend.

The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 3 and 4. Also that weekend, the "Taste of Polonia" and "Fringe Fest" festivals will be held in Jefferson Park, near Lawrence and Milwaukee avenues.

"When we did our community needs assessment a couple of years ago, by far the number one request was a neighborhood celebration," festival committee chairwoman Lynn Burmeister said. "We want to celebrate who we are."

The festival will be held on Elston Avenue between Lawrence Avenue and Kentucky Avenue. Elston will be closed to traffic, but Lawrence will remain open and CTA bus routes on Lawrence will not be affected, Burmeister said.

Proceeds from the festival will be used to fund community art projects.

The association is seeking to install murals at two viaducts where a former railroad line will become part of the Weber Spur bike and pedestrian trail, which will run northeast from Mayfair to the suburbs. The viaducts are near Foster and Kenton avenues and at Elston and Kimberly avenues.

The association previously coordinated a mural project on a viaduct along the east side of Cicero Avenue, just north of Lawrence.

The name of the festival refers to plans to sell several types of cider and sandwiches. The festival is in its early planning stages, and the association recently hired Special Events Management to coordinate the event, Burmeister said.

The festival will feature a music stage and family activities, and local school groups will be asked to participate. Activities geared toward seniors also are being considered, and volunteers are being sought, Burmeister said.

The events company manages several festivals on the Northwest Side, and association members volunteered at one of the events last year to learn about the operation of festivals, Burmeister said.

Special Events Management owner Hank Zemola will answer questions about the festival at the association’s meeting at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, June 1, at the Gompers Park fieldhouse, 4222 W. Foster Ave. The main guest speaker will be 17th (Albany Park) Police District commander Elias Voulgaris.