While the ink on the band contracts dries, the Web site for the first-ever Rotary Grovefest is live at www.rotarygrovefest.com.

And a host of other details are falling into place as the Rotary Club of Downers Grove readies for a four-day festival to be held in downtown Downers Grove in mid-July, in place of Heritage Festival.

An annual summer tradition in Downers Grove for nearly three decades, Heritage Festival was cut from the village budget for 2010.

The festival was one of several programs axed to soften the negative financial impact of plunging revenues coming into the village, coupled with rising costs.

Also cut were several other programs, services and village staff positions.

The Rotary Club of Downers Grove, one of two nonprofit groups that offered to try to fill the void left by Heritage Fest, was given the village’s go-ahead to present an alternative festival in April.

The Rotary Club will bear all costs associated with the festival, said Grovefest co-chairman Keith Hoffman.

Part of the cost will be for services provided by village employees in the police, fire and public works departments.

“We’re going to be cutting a check to the village for approximately $26,000,” Hoffman said. “Public safety is important. We can’t neglect that.”

The festival, he said, is designed to draw smaller crowds than Heritage Festival, which attracted an estimated 100,000 people during the course of each year's festival, in its latter years.

Hoffman said the club is aiming at bringing in a total of about 25,000 people during the four-day event, scheduled for Thursday, July 15 through Sunday, July 18.

“The Rotary is very involved with giving back to the community. We should definitely not lose the tradition we have with Heritage Fest,” Hoffman said. “We’re giving back, in a smaller way than Heritage Fest.”

Hoffman said the festival, including food vendor booths and the entertainment stage, will be set up on Forest Avenue between the railroad tracks and Curtiss Street. Rides will also be stationed in part of the Downers Grove Public Library parking lot, he said.

Like Heritage Festival, Grovefest will feature a car show. More than 200 vehicles are expected to be on display at the show, which will be presented Sunday, July 18.

The festival will be open 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Hoffman said admission fees will likely be about $5 or $6 for adults and will apply only after 5 or 6 p.m.

For those who plan to attend Grovefest on more than one day, he said, $10 wristbands, good for the entire long weekend, will be available at several downtown businesses.

The entertainment schedule will kick off Friday, July 16 from 5 to 6p.m. with Judge’s Nite Band; the band is made up of musicians whose livelyhood is primarily in the judicial field. The music continues with Judas Priest cover band Judas Beast from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

From 9:30-11 p.m. Final Say will take the stage.

Saturday entertainment will start at noon and continue throughout the day with local and regional bands ending the evening at 11 p.m.

Sunday’s entertainment continues from noon to 12:30 p.m. with local artist Stepen Knecht, followed by local Downers Grove Band Field of Vision. Followed by the dancers from Bluestone Academy of Dance and Music from 1:45 to 2:30 p.m. Additionally the entertainment will continue highlighting Spotlight Dance Studio from 2:30 to 3p.m., Steps on Main from 3-3:30 p.m. and the Trinity Irish Dancers from 3:45 to 4 p.m.

The evening’s entertainment continues with The Michael Heaton Band from 5 to 8 p.m. followed by the U2 cover band Elevation from 9 to 10:30 p.m.

Hoffman said that while Rotarians will handle key festival management positions, volunteers are needed to help with a variety of duties, including serving beer.

Parking will be available on side streets and in the parking deck east of Main Street.

Main Street, he said, will remain open to traffic.

“We wanted to keep Main Street open and keep the businesses’ (operations) as normal as possible for downtown merchants,” he said.