Algoniquin’s North Main Street will be turned into a giant “Slip n’ Slide,” during the Slide The City Aug. 15-16.

The 2015 “Dog Days” of summer will have a cooling-off period, when the Village of Algonquin plays host to a 1,000-foot water slide that will be placed over the length of North Main Street in the downtown area. The long, long slide is the centerpiece of a “Slide the City” event being held Aug. 15-16.

The festival surrounding the weekend is being organized and staged by the Chicago-based firm of SocialTechPop, run by Cary resident Jess Loren. The starting area for the slide was tabbed for its downward grade along Route 31 into the downtown. The entry spot will be near Riverview Drive, south to Edwards Street, and onto Route 62 as the terminus.

“Route 62 is where the festival area will be concentrated, near the bottom of the slide,” said Katie Gock, the village’s Recreation Coordinator. “The festival will have food, music, children’s activities, and plenty of family fun. The village’s investment in this event is providing the permits, use of the streets, public safety, and of course, water for the slide.”

The “Slide the City” concept took root in the high altitudes of Salt Lake City in Utah. A consortium of friends sought to create a family-friendly activity that would be accessible to everyone, and came up with a giant “slip n’ slide,” modeled after the popular 1960s summer toy. Their invention was 1,000 feet long, filled with water, and made of durable plastic.

SocialTechPop has acted in a logistical capacity for “Slide The City,” setting up similar events in other states, and three other towns in Illinois this summer. “We’re looking forward to this taking place, and there are lots of benefits for the historic downtown area,” said Gock.

The Algonquin business district saw a drop in customer trade, during and following the construction of the western bypass project. Ultimately, traffic was diverted away from the downtown to relieve congestion during peak travel times. Work stoppages and delays came due to inclement weather, and planning changes to the original design.

Over the past five years, village officials have authorized a vision plan for the historic downtown, and recently assigned a firm to implement those ideas into a practical engineering program. The plan includes re-purposing buildings, creating walkways, improving the riverfront promenade, and deriving methods to attract pedestrian traffic.

“We are working to help business there, and to make visitors aware of them,” said Dave Rudin, the Algonquin-Lake In The Hills Chamber of Commerce’s executive director. “The slide event is a great promotional tool for people, coming from inside and outside the area, and a great chance to highlight the businesses.

“We just met with some business owners there and talked about putting together a hand-out piece…a map of the district with attached coupons that people can use whenever. Attendance has been estimated at 8,000 per day, a very significant number.”

Gock concurred with the slide acting as a calling card for the business district. “Inadvertently, the event is a good driving force to bring people downtown. They’ll be walking there and be able to patronize our businesses, whether a restaurant or a store. Most of the parking will be in municipal lots in the South Main Street area, so it’s close by.

“The bottom line is that this will be a lot of fun, and a great summertime thing,” she said.

Tickets for the slide are $15 per slide until July 10, $20 per slide from July 11-31, $25 from Aug. 1-14, with tickets costing $30 per slide on event days. The festival tickets are sold separately for $5, with children 12 and under being admitted free. Special packages and multiple ride tickets are also available.