Houby Day celebration kicks off in Berwyn, Cicero

The 48th annual International Houby Fest celebration kicked off Sept. 26 in Berwyn and Cicero and continues until Oct. 2 with a football game, carnival, food court, entertainment and a parade on the last day that honors police officers.

“Heroes in Blue” will be the theme of the parade that starts at noon Oct. 2 along Cermak Road from 56th Court in Cicero to Riverside Drive in Berwyn. Parade marshals will be Cicero Police Superintendent Jerry Chlada Jr. and Berwyn Acting Chief of Police Frank Cimaglia. Several police departments are expected to march with vehicles, including Berwyn, Cicero, Stickney, Forest View and Forest Park.

The “original first responders” – eight knights on horseback from Medieval Times in Schaumburg – will participate, along with 30 members of the royal court with jesters, said Gilbert Pena, parade co-chairman. Pena is a current member of the Berwyn Fire and Police Commission, and co-chairman Richard Toman is a former member, as well as a past Berwyn alderman for 26 years until 2000.

“It’s going to be bigger than ever,” Pena said, estimating the parade will be 50-percent larger in number of participants.

Toman believes 20,000 people will turn out to watch the parade.

“We expect a great crowd and a great number of units," he said.

This year’s Houby Fest is sponsored by the town of Cicero and city of Berwyn. The festival began in 1968 to celebrate the Czech and Slovak heritage and annual harvest, according to a statement from organizers. “Houby” is the Czech/Slovak word for mushroom.

The history of the fest was scheduled to be presented Sept. 26 by John Kociolko, former Cicero town assessor, at the kickoff at Old Fashioned Candies in Berwyn. The store was to serve treats, and Berwyn Mayor Robert Lovero and Cicero Town President Larry Dominick were expected to attend.

Morton East High School student Margarita Lopez-Gomez, 17, of Cicero, was named Houby Queen on Sept. 27. Ingrid Burgos was named the first runner-up, and finalists also included Miranda Ortiz and Celine Villagomez.

The Houby Bowl football game took place Sept. 28 at the Morton West High School football field in Berwyn. Teams were girls from Morton East in Cicero and West in Berwyn, said Cynthia Salvino, event committee member.

Emil Vacin Fairway, north of Cermak Road, will be the site starting Sept. 29 of a carnival, entertainment, and food and craft vendors from Lombard Avenue going east, said Ruth Volbre, Berwyn assistant city administrator. The vendors will be on the first block and carnival rides and games to Austin Boulevard, Salvino said.

Entertainment on a main stage near Lombard Avenue includes R Gang, Simply Elton, 16 Candles and 7th Heaven. A children’s stage also will be there.

Available food will include tacos, pizza, Mexican ice cream, Italian beef and potato pancakes, and crafts for sale will include glass sports team mugs, jewelry, silverware, candles and items with LED lights.

More than 1,000 people representing J. Sterling Morton High School District 201 will participate in the parade, including athletes, theater group members, a teen mariachi band, marching band, cheerleaders and the pompom squad.

Among others in the parade will be the Houby Queen, an honor guard from the Combined Veterans of Berwyn, Army Reserve members from the North Riverside base, Boy Scout troops, Lovero and Dominick, Sokol Tabor, Berwyn school districts 100 and 98, nonprofit Youth Crossroads and Pav YMCA in Berwyn.

Toman and Kociolko will announce the parade units, expected to exceed 50, as they pass the Olympic Theater, 6134 Cermak Road in Cicero.

The honor guard flag will be from Berwyn, and 3,000 4-by-6-inch flags will be given to those along the route.

“We really put in a lot of time, more units," Toman said about the parade being better than in previous years.

Pena said Cermak Road will be blocked to traffic between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Oct. 2 from Laramie Avenue in Cicero to Euclid Avenue in Berwyn. The CTA will reroute Cermak buses to nearby east-west streets, and the parade should temporarily halt to let through north-south buses, he said.

Pena expects the parade to end at 4 p.m., with street sweeping to follow.

Toman and Pena said they have tried to rebuild the Berwyn participation in the parade and vendors, and they expect that to continue in the future.

Other committee members include Patti Dominick and Jeffry Pesek.

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Entertainment schedule

Sept. 30

6:30 to 7:45 p.m.: Dirty Dan's Cool Rockin' Daddies
8:30 to 10 p.m. : Libido Funk Circus

Oct. 1

2 to 3:15 p.m.: Rick Lindy & the Wild Ones
4 to 5:30 p.m. R Gang
6:15 to 7:45 p.m.: The Boy Band Night
8:30 to 10 p.m.: 16 Candles

Oct. 2

2 to 3:15 p.m.: Recycle the Day
4 to 5:30 p.m.: Simply Elton
6:15 to 7:45 p.m.: The Personnel
8:30 to 10 p.m.: 7th Heaven