FREE Switch on Summer Brings Family Friendly Fun To Buckingham Fountain Sunday, May 5

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ComEd, Chicago Park District Bring Buckingham Fountain Back to Life at 

“Switch on Summer” Event

Organizations join forces for annual celebration with live entertainment, family friendly activities

Sick of snow, slush, and spring temps better suited for February? Come out and Switch on Summer this Sunday. Switch on Summer will take place from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on May 5, with the fountain scheduled to switch on at 2 p.m. For the second year in a row, WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling will serve as master of ceremonies. He will be joined on stage by Megan Briggs, a ComEd customer from Arlington Heights, Illinois, who will have the honor of turning on Buckingham Fountain. Briggs was selected in an online contest that asked customers to answer a true/false trivia question about solar energy.

Live entertainment at Switch on Summer will be provided by 1980s cover band Sixteen Candles and Chicago-area rock band Today’s Trade, along with a performance from the Joffrey Ballet’s Exelon Strobel Step-Up Dancers. Lining the fountain with giveaways and family-friendly activities will be more than 20 of the community's leading organizations, such as the Adler Planetarium, Brookfield Zoo, Chicago Blackhawks, Field Museum, Lincoln Park Zoo, Museum of Science and Industry, Navy Pier and Shedd Aquarium.

For Chicagoland residents searching for a sign that warmer weather is on the way, the wait is over – the fifth-annual Switch on Summer event is set to take place this Sunday, May 5. The fun, family-friendly event marks Chicago’s (un)official season- changing signal, as ComEd and the Chicago Park District join forces to turn on Buckingham Fountain for the season.



“ComEd and Buckingham Fountain are proud fixtures of the Chicago community,” said Joe Dominguez, CEO of ComEd. “For as long as the fountain has welcomed the start of the summer season, year in and year out, ComEd has been powering the lives of Illinois families and businesses.”

Over 15,000 people from across Chicagoland are expected to join ComEd, the Park District and more than 20 of the area's leading organizations for the fifth-annual Switch on Summer event, which will include giveaways, family-friendly activities and live entertainment.

“This is a very special year for the Chicago Park District as we celebrate our 85th anniversary,” said Michael P. Kelly, CEO & Superintendent of the Chicago Park District. “There are few symbols that embody summer in Chicago more than the iconic Buckingham Fountain, and we are proud to again partner with ComEd to ‘switch on’ another season of outdoor fun in our great city.”

“There couldn’t be a more wonderful way to welcome the summer season than seeing Chicago's beautiful and iconic Buckingham Fountain come alive,” Skilling said. “I hope to see you there as we make that happen. Many thanks to ComEd and the Chicago Park District for bringing Chicagoland residents together for this special gathering. Now, we just need Mother Nature to bring us summer warmth!”

For event updates, visit ComEd.com/SwitchOnSummer.

ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), a Fortune 100 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.