Last summer the manager of the Chatterbox sent an email that ended up in the Village Board's minutes. Outdoor music from a nearby business had gotten so loud inside the restaurant that customers left. A speaker described the email during public comment on July 28, 2026. Three months later, on October 13, the Village Board passed Ordinance 2026-O-19. It gives Long Grove a standalone set of rules for special events for the first time.
The ordinance's stated reason points to "the Village's historic downtown business district." Most of the debate behind it was about amplified music on ordinary nights and one private event that drew a crowd far bigger than it said it would. The big festival weekends came up far less.
The Argument Started With Speakers, Not Stages
The July 28 minutes describe a two-sided debate. Ryan Messner, president of the Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association, raised concerns about charging private business owners to apply for event permits. He also questioned the proposed sound limit. He suggested downtown businesses try to settle the noise issues among themselves before the Village wrote a blanket rule without their input.
A second speaker said the festivals themselves had no documented music or noise problems. The trouble came from businesses using outdoor amplified or live music, and the speaker asked for a rule that would be fair to everyone. The Chatterbox email was offered as the example.
On the July meeting recording, Village President Bill Jacob framed the proposal as a way to make outdoor music legitimate at venues where existing special-use or planned-development terms did not allow it. He said it would also give the Village Manager standards and oversight to work with. The board agreed guidelines were needed, but nobody made a motion. Instead, trustees asked Village staff to meet with downtown business owners about standards and enforcement.
So as of late July, the ordinance looked like a question about patio speakers.
Then an October Event Outgrew Its Paperwork
By October 13 the discussion had changed. On the October meeting recording posted by the Village, Jacob described an Oktoberfest-style gathering in town. In his words, it "was supposed to be small, 20 vendors, turns out 25." By his account, attendance came close to 4,000 people, traffic backed up into gridlock, and a line of people stretched down the road to the fire station. Jacob said he called the sheriff's office and three cars came to help manage traffic.
Messner spoke for the business association right after. He said the association agreed with shutting the event down immediately. He called it "the first time we've ever had a shut down" in Long Grove and asked the board to see it as separate from the downtown merchants. He had opposed parts of the draft in July. In October, he said the association supported the proposal because the downtown needed consistent rules and "some structure."
Later that evening, a trustee moved to approve the ordinance "as it is currently written," and the motion carried. Under its own text, the ordinance took effect once it was passed and published.
What Chapter 14 Actually Covers
The ordinance adds a new Chapter 14, "Special Events," to the police regulations in the Village Code. You can read the full text in the October 13 board packet. Its definition of a special event shows how far the July and October conversations shaped it. Alongside festivals and parades, the list includes:
- Any gathering held fully or partly on Village property, such as streets, sidewalks, parkways, and Village parking lots
- Amplified sound above 80 decibels sustained at the property line
- Food or liquor sales on a lot not zoned for that use
- Commercial tents, stages, or similar temporary structures that need inspection
- Paid-entry gatherings on residentially zoned lots
- Commercial filming and photography
Some gatherings fall outside the definition. Events the Village sponsors or co-sponsors are left out. So are gatherings already allowed under a property's zoning, special use permit, or planned unit development, as long as they follow those approvals.
For events that do qualify, the lead time and the decision-maker are set separately:
| Rule | Applies when the event... |
|---|---|
| Apply at least 90 days ahead | Serves alcohol or expects more than 500 people |
| Apply at least 30 days ahead | Meets neither of those conditions |
| Village Board decides | Expects more than 250 people, or closes a road or bridge |
| Village Manager may approve | Expects 250 or fewer people and closes no roads or bridges |
A small event that serves alcohol, for example, still needs the 90-day lead time, but the Village Manager can approve it.
The application fee is $25, and a late application costs another $50. Nonprofits, government bodies, and properties zoned as special event venues don't pay the fee. In the B1 downtown district, the applicant also needs liability insurance with at least $1 million in coverage that names the Village as an additional insured.
The Village can attach conditions to a permit. These include security, medical and fire coverage, sanitary facilities, sound-level and hours limits, a cap on attendance at the number stated in the application, and repayment for police and public works costs. The attendance cap speaks directly to what happened in October, since an event can now be held to the crowd size it applied for. Annual and other recurring events get priority when two applications compete for the same date and place.
This is a summary of a public ordinance for general information, not legal advice. If you're planning an event of your own, confirm the requirements with the Village of Long Grove or your own attorney.
The First Holiday Stretch Under the New Chapter
Since the ordinance took effect, the next big stretch on the downtown calendar is Vintage Holidays, which the business association runs. The ordinance doesn't say how it applies to any particular festival, and neither do the posted event details. What has changed is the setting. The holiday season now opens in a downtown with written rules for sound, crowd size, and use of Village property.
The calendar starts sooner than the holidays. Downtown merchant trick-or-treating is Friday, October 23, from 3 to 5 p.m. After that, the Vintage Holidays schedule runs November 20 through December 24.
- Light Up Long Grove, Friday, November 20. From 5 to 7:30 p.m. there are tractor-pulled decorated wagon rides, illuminated photo stations, street activities, and shops open late. At 7:30 p.m., Village President Bill Jacob leads the bridge and tree lighting, followed by a performance from the Fred Astaire Dancers.
- Horse-drawn carriage rides. Rides run November 21, 22, 27, 28, and 29, and December 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, and 20. Seats are $15 each, and children 5 and under ride free on an adult's lap. Pre-registration for the 10-seat carriage was listed as coming soon, rides can be canceled for weather, and tickets are non-refundable.
- Santa in the Village. Santa visits from noon to 4 p.m. on November 28 and 29 and December 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, and 20.
- Free pictures with Santa, Sunday, December 20. Photos run noon to 4 p.m. at Covered Bridge Park, first come, first served, with no reservations needed.
The organizers note that the schedule may change. Stevenson High School carolers are scheduled for December 6, from noon to 1 p.m.
Two shops will be open this season that weren't on the downtown map a year ago, according to the Daily Herald. The Olive Tap, at 302 Old McHenry Road, reopened in February under owner Kelly Petrocelli after closing around 2021. Artistic Creations of Long Grove sells handmade and artisan goods at 405 Robert Parker Coffin Road. The two shops held a joint grand opening in May. For more on how the summer and early fall calendar came together, see our earlier look at the six weeks between Irish Days and Apple Fest.
The Village Board meets next on October 27. That will be the first regular meeting since the new chapter took effect, and the Village has said minutes are posted once approved.
At Renee Clark Homes, we keep up with Long Grove's board meetings and downtown calendar because the way a village runs its downtown shapes everyday life near it. If you'd like to talk about what changes like this mean for your corner of Long Grove, Let's Connect.
