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Eric
& Kathy ring in summer In fact, popular Chicago radio personalities Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart of WTMX 101.9-FM The Mix’s “Eric & Kathy Show” announced the live remote was such a rousing success they plan to return to Naperville next June 21 to do it all over again. Marching bands, soda pop bombs, a friendly polar bear, local “celebrities” and Sister Hazel were just some of the highlights. Here are a few notable snippets from the wet and wild morning: •6:05 a.m.: The show commences with a booming marching band performance. Ferguson asks, “Is it like this every day in Naperville?” •6:10 a.m.: Fun fact revealed: Ferguson’s college roommate was Paul Vandersteen, chairman of the science department and head cross country coach at Neuqua Valley High School. Who knew? •6:23 a.m.: Director Ron Keller and the Naperville Municipal Band wow the audience with a rousing patriotic medley. “You look terrific. You sound terrific,” Ferguson tells them. •6:40 a.m.: Turns out Gail Anderson, owner of the Canterbury Shoppe downtown, is an original “Eric & Kathy” fan. She’s in the crowd and looking forward to hearing Mayor George Pradel on the air. “It’s hard to one-up Eric, but I think the mayor can do it.” •6:36 a.m.: It’s a big ol’ love fest when Pradel takes the stage. He and the radio hosts became pals after the station’s listeners voted him Chicago’s hottest mayor last year. Pradel lets it slip that he likely will seek a fourth term next year. When the energetic mayor’s radio spot wraps, the hosts joke the show has hit its peak today and can only go downhill. They also tease that the mayor might want to consider decaffeinated beverages. •6:45 a.m.: The first raindrops fall and show no mercy for the duration of the show. Good thing most folks thought ahead and brought umbrellas, though it made it tough to see the stage. •7 a.m.: Katie Stephenson is manning the outdoor refreshments cart at Arbor Vitae Java & Juice across the street on Jackson Avenue. Coffee and muffins have been the top sellers during the busy morning, she reports. Can’t blame people for needing a little pick-me-up. •7:07 a.m.: Sisters and devoted fans Lori and Mandy Knicker of Wheaton are getting a kick out of seeing Ferguson and Hart in the flesh. “It’s different, seeing their faces,” Mandy says. “It’s a little weird.” The women say they especially like Ferguson because his sarcasm reminds them of their brother, Chip. •7:10 a.m.: Newly ordained local celebrity Marcelite Bucheit, 5, sits for a brief on-air interview. She and her sister made headlines when their Naperville lemonade stand was swiped. A police officer found it in a nearby alley the next day. The girls had said they were saving money for a zoo trip. During the girl’s Wednesday appearance, a polar bear mascot from Brookfield Zoo surprised Bucheit and her family with free passes. •7:26 a.m.: The official summer solstice — when the sun was directly above the Tropic of Cancer. •7:39 a.m.: The show stumbles for a moment when a goofy little wrench is thrown into a Naperville trivia segment. The prize? A new sofa set from Wickes Furniture. The contestant picked at random? An 8-year-old boy. Not exactly an ideal match. But, the segment was salvaged when his mother was allowed to join him, and the crowd pitched in with the answers. “You’re going to be the envy of all your 8-year-old friends,” Ferguson joked when the kid won the furniture. •7:53 a.m.: A second but final fizzle occurs when the show’s producer, John “Swany” Swanson, conducts a science experiment on a blocked-off Jackson Avenue. He takes a bottle of Diet Coke, opens it and drops in a Mentos candy. Instead of the huge geyser that was promised, the crowd was treated to a 2-foot gurgle. (Next time, use a few more Mentos and make sure they’re mint, according to an Internet how-to.) •8:17 a.m.: Naperville police officer Mike Hull, who patrols downtown, says the crowd is well-behaved and there are no incidents to report. “For being so early, I can’t believe how into it the crowd is.” •8:30 a.m.: Sister Hazel wraps up a crowd-pleasing, singalong performance of its hit “All for You.” Waubonsie Valley High School students Amy Craig and Sarah Sampson, both of Aurora, say they wouldn’t be getting up at 5 a.m. on their summer break for just any old band. “It’s free. Who’s going to turn that down?” Craig says. Some of her less fortunate friends who had to work in the morning were treated to the concert when Craig called them and held up her cell phone for them to hear. •8:46 a.m.: Ken and Drew from Sister Hazel say how impressed they are by the crowd size. They say they were expecting maybe 75 people to show. But as they arrived, they knew they had underestimated the suburbanites. “I saw the Porta Potties and I knew it was going to be a party.”
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