Orland Park Resident Chosen To Restart Buckingham Fountain

ORLAND PARK, IL — An Orland Park resident will flip the switch to turn on Chicago's famous Buckingham Fountain this weekend after being off since 2019, according to the Chicago Park District.

The Park District has partnered with Commonwealth Edison for the past seven years to sponsor the "Switch on Summer" event. The electricity company hosts a sweepstakes each year for the honor of restarting the powerful fountain in Grant Park. This year, ComEd customer Dominique Lalrinzuala won.

The event normally has live music, games and photo booths. This year, only a small group will be able to attend. Speakers and music will start at 2 p.m. Saturday, according to Park District spokesperson Irene Tostado. Lalrinzuala will start the fountain at about 2:20 p.m., and the ceremony will be livestreamed on ComEd's Facebook page.

ComEd CEO Joe Dominguez and Mayor Lori Lightfoot will speak at the event and WGN Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling will be the virtual emcee, ComEd representatives said.

Due to COVID-19 guidelines, the Park District is not encouraging large crowds. Tostado said most of the planning for the event was done before new regulations allowed fully vaccinated people to gather in big groups.

Some may see the Park District maintenance department cleaning the fountain and readying the jets in anticipation of the big day.

The Park District also announced that Chicago's lakefront beaches would be reopening on May 28.