WOOD DALE, IL — A local resident attending the Prairie Fest in this Chicago suburb died Aug. 2 when a storm with high winds, hail and rain flattened the tent that a group of people had sought for shelter. The victim was identified as Wood Dale resident Steven Nincic, 35. Fifteen others were taken to a hospital, including three who sustained serious injuries; others were treated for minor injuries at the scene.
Prairie Fest, a community event that had grown from a one-day festival in 2001 to a four-day event, ran from July 30-Aug. 2 this year near Wood Dale Junior High School.
Although as many as 5,000 attended the event the evening before, the storm that tore the tent from its moorings struck in mid-afternoon before a large crowd had arrived. The remainder of the Aug. 2 event was canceled after the storm hit.
Witnesses described the tent rising up in the air and collapsing after its moorings were torn loose, with first responders reportedly cutting holes to gain access to people trapped beneath the tent.
Other festivals in the Chicago area were also disrupted Aug. 2, including the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago’s Grant Park. That event, attended by some 89,000, was shut down for nearly an hour in the afternoon and ended about a half-hour early due to bad weather. No injuries were reported.
