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Strong storm, JOAN JETT rock RidgeFest
from: southtownstar.com
by CASEY TONER
For die-hard fans of JOAN JETT, pouring rain and lightning couldn't stop them from seeing the legendary rocker at RidgeFest 2010.
A storm closed the festival grounds for about an hour Friday evening, but the gates reopened about 7:30 p.m, two hours before Jett and the BLACKHEARTS took the stage.
The four-day festival, which concludes Sunday, is at Freedom Park, Freedom Street and Oak Avenue in Chicago Ridge. RidgeFest has the usual summer festival attractions - carnival rides and games, a beer tent, food and trinket vendors and bands - as well as pony rides and a petting zoo for the kids.
But that's not what drew many of the guests Friday night. Mike Churillia and his daughter, Lindsay, drove all the way from Pennsylvania to see Jett and her band.
Churillia said he got home after work about 1 a.m. Friday and decided to hit the road for Chicago Ridge to see Jett perform.
"I drove straight here, and we haven't even slept," he said. "I even left work after working a 12-hour shift."
Lindsay cited JOAN JETT as a "strong example for young girls.
"You can see she cares," Lindsay said. "I play drums, and I like to play her songs on the drums, and I'm picking up the guitar to learn how to play like her."
Shannon Hurst, a resident of Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood, estimated she had seen Jett 25 to 30 times.
"She's playing a few shows this summer, and it's cheap," she said. "Jett rocks."
While Jett was the big draw Friday night, many locals came to enjoy other parts of the annual festival.
Brian Olivares, of Chicago Ridge, brought his 8-year-old daughter, Frinnie, and his 8-year-old nephew, Jacob Cope.
"I come every year," Olivares said. "I enjoy it, and I like to listen to the bands."
To keep his daughter and nephew happy, he bought them a few balloon animals each. Frinnie was wearing a hat with an alien face on the front and was "walking" a white balloon poodle on a pink balloon leash.
"I like the dogs and stuff because they're cute," she said.
Many carnival rides were shut down because of the heavy rains, but the Euro Bungy ride opened up almost as soon as the last raindrops fell.
Chicago Ridge resident Jamie Joseph said the rain was kind of a blessing because it cut short the ride's formerly long line.
Her 3-year-old son, Liam Joseph, made the best of it and was seen jumping up and down on the trampoline with bungees attached to both sides of his torso.
"Bouncing!" he said. "It's fun!"
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