Emanuel Wants To See Great Chicago Fire Festival Return For Another Year

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Emanuel says he wants to see another Great Chicago Fire Festival next year, despite the way the climax of this year's celebration fizzled out, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.

Structures that were supposed to burn brightly near the end of the Great Chicago Fire Festival along the Chicago River failed to ignite amid the rain and cold, but the mayor believes the fest and maybe even the organizer Redmoon Theater should try again.

"There will be an after-action report: What didn't work? What did work? What do we need to do different?" Emanuel said.
The mayor says not to forget all of the good that came out of it.

"Thousands of kids throughout the summer as their summer jobs and summer learning built and participated in constructing some of that material and the event, I don't want to lose that," Emanuel said.

He says 30,000 people turned out in the rain and cold and that celebrating the 143rd anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire touched the spirit of Chicago.