The stage is set, and Dixon is ready for Mumford and Sons to play for a crowd of 15,000 people tomorrow. Thousands from all over the Midwest are expected to pack the streets here for an event that's sure to go down in Dixon history.
"We've not seen any production like this before," Resident Larry Reed says.
It's a weekend unlike any other Dixon has ever had. Dixon's two hotels and all its campgrounds have been booked up months in advance before the concert even sold out.
Employees at Dixon's Comfort Inn are still getting phone calls Friday from people trying to book for this weekend.
"We've turned several people away," General Manager Teresa Maynard says, "Now the concert's coming up, we're getting probably 15-20 phone calls a day."
Out on the streets, vendors are setting up shop for the nearly 20,000 expected to flood the streets. They tell us excited doesn't even cover it.
"That's an understatement," Kathy Freeman says. Freeman is displaying bags from the Miche line on a sidewalk at the festival.
"Last night I was like a little kid at Christmas," she says, "I'm over the top excited; it's like a huge deal, this could very possibly be in the history books for Dixon, IL."
For an event celebrating local music, the city and its businesses are expected to bring in $1.5 million in revenue, a big impact on a small town.
"For morale it's a huge boost, something to get people excited and makes you proud of being from Dixon and being a part of it," Dixon Main Street Director Josh Albrecht says.
The street festival kicks off Friday night, and goes until midnight. Concerts from local bands will kick off there tomorrow at 10AM with the big event in the afternoon.
The entire block of streets you see here will be closed downtown for the festival between Peoria and Galena avenues, and River Street up to Second Street.
Tickets are $5 at the door for the street festival.
