Another popular summer event in the Chicago area is canceled as village officials cite safety concerns.
Chicago Ridge's RidgeFest announced late last week that its July festival will be canceled following a "difficult decision" from the village's board.
"We regret to inform you that last night, May 26, the Village Board made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s RidgeFest due to safety concerns," a post on the festival's Facebook page read. "This was not an easy decision to make, but the safety of everyone is and always will be first priority of our town."
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RidgeFest was slated to be held July 28-30.
The reason behind the safety concerns wasn't addressed in the post, but it follows cancellations or changes for other area events this month.
The decision comes in the wake of several high-profile incidents involving large groups of teens gathering in numerous communities, including Tinley Park, where a carnival benefitting military veterans was cut short after more than 400 teens ran through the event as part of a “flash mob” stunt organized on social media.
A church in suburban Evergreen Park last week also canceled its 46th annual carnival, which was set to take place June 15-18.
“After hearing from parishioners and consulting with the Evergreen Park Police Department, the carnival committee met. In the interest of safety, the difficult decision has been made to cancel the carnival this year,” Father Jim Hyland of Most Holy Redeemer Parish said in an email.
Tinley Park also announced security changes for its annual Rib Fest, including things like fencing the festival, adding walk-through metal detectors and implementing bag checks.
