Frank E’s Fling Mile
Around 130 runners of all ages started off their Labor Day morning with Frank E’s Fling Mile at the intersection of Main Street and Jefferson Avenue.
“Hot dogs are one of my favorite foods so I had to take the opportunity to chase one down,” said participant Danielle Molinari.
“My sister and I will probably be running together but my mom and dad too just for fun. But I’m not sure how much running they’ll be doing,” said participant Jenna Schuler.
“I’m running with my friends because they’re both almost exactly my speed so I’m really excited that I’m running alone with them and not with my parents this time,” said Erin, a participant.
“We both like to run, and we thought it would be kind of a fun little mom-son excursion,” said participant Samantha Henness.
“I had a huge leg injury this year and there’s no races where I live right now, so I just came here to race,” said Jack, a participant.
“I hope I’m going to win a medal,” said Cate, a participant.
And Cate was among the many participants who got medals after making that one-mile dash and crossing the finish line.
Labor Day Parade
It wouldn’t be Labor Day without a parade. The parade kicked off at Naperville North High School. Naperville schools, floats, libraries, and more made their way through the parade route and ended at Naperville Central High School. If you missed the parade, you can watch it all on NCTV17.com.
Response to Admission Fee Criticism
For the first time in its 30-year run, the Last Fling charged a 10-dollar admission fee this year.
“And because of changes that have happened in our community as well as volunteerism, as well as participating in fundraisers and philanthropy within the community, it’s something we have had to do just to make sure the Naperville Jaycees, who are a nonprofit, stay solvent,” said Karen Coleman, Co-Chair of PR, Marketing and Entertainment for the Last Fling.
Some people were not expecting this change and expressed their frustrations on social media. For some it’s too expensive and they can’t go all four days like they used to. For others, they didn’t know about the change until they got to the gate.
“Unfortunately, because not everyone sees everything all the time, it’s difficult to reach a mass audience. And I feel the few people that have had complaints about what’s going on, it’s just that they have not received the information that they needed to receive,” said Coleman.
Coleman said that although some people turned away at the gate when they learned about the charge, most people did not.
If you have any concerns or feedback you can email publicrelations@lastfling.org.
NBC Football Bus
For football fans out there, at the last day of the Fling you can check out NBC’s Sunday Night Football Bus. The tour bus has stopped by to get fans excited about Thursday night’s kick off and the game on Sunday. You can see a “Football Night in America” desk, replicas of players’ lockers, record 5-second videos using the interactive booth, and more. You can find the bus next to the Block Party Stage until 8 p.m.
