Now Glen Ellyn jazz event is back on

The partnership that brought an annual jazz festival to downtown Glen Ellyn has broken up, but the show will go on.

Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce officials on Friday said there will be a jazz event in July. It just might not be called Jazz Fest Glen Ellyn.

That was the name of the festival the past five years when it was presented by The McAninch Arts Center and WDCB public radio from the College of DuPage, along with White Space Design and the chamber.

But planning for this year's festival hit a sour note when the chamber informed the other partners that it was going to create a new event with an emphasis on raising money for the chamber.

"They wanted to move in a different direction," said Stephen Cummins, director of the arts center. "It's not a direction that matches what we believe the mission of the jazz fest to be."

What happened next depends on who you speak to.

Cummins on Friday morning said Jazz Fest Glen Ellyn was going to be canceled because the chamber ended its involvement with the event. In the past, the chamber was responsible for getting event permits from the village and providing dozens of volunteers.

"Everybody brought something to the partnership," Cummins said. "So we (the remaining partners) didn't feel like we could move forward. At this late date, we really felt we couldn't pull it off."

But on Friday afternoon, chamber officials were insisting the event wasn't canceled.

They issued a statement saying the jazz program is scheduled for July 14 and that the chamber "looks forward to another successful event in 2012."

"Regrettably, the other members of the committee have chosen not to participate in this popular event this year," the statement reads.

The festival will continue with the goal of bringing jazz enthusiasts "to enjoy downtown Glen Ellyn," according to the chamber. Last year's one-day event attracted between 5,000 to 6,000 visitors from throughout the area.

Mike Formento, co-executive director of the Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce, said the only decision that needs to be made is whether the event will be called Jazz Fest Glen Ellyn.

"That's still in discussion," he said.

Cummins said the remaining organizers of Jazz Fest Glen Ellyn are hoping the chamber doesn't use that name. They are hoping to regroup and bring the event back in future years.

"We're still committed to presenting great Chicago jazz," Cummins said.