Taste Of Joliet Decision Looms Amid Coronavirus
JOLIET, IL — Will Bret Michaels and Vince Neil take the stage in front of thousands of screaming fans packed inside Joliet's Memorial Stadium on Friday night, June 26? Since mid-March, all Joliet Park District's programs and events have remained shutdown amid the outbreak of the new coronavirus.
However, Taste of Joliet remains on the schedule, and none of the late June music concerts have been canceled for that weekend, park district director Brad Staab told Joliet Patch on Thursday. Besides booking Vince Neil and Bret Michaels to perform June 26, Dylan Scott and Brett Young were booked as the main headliners for the country music lineup on Saturday, June 27.
Back in January, Staab told Joliet Patch that Taste of Joliet would probably draw 27,000 people to see Michaels and Neil for the Friday night rock concert, if the weather was great.
The June 26 country night at Taste of Joliet has also scheduled MacKenzie Porter for a 5 p.m. concert and Jimmie Allen to perform at 6 p.m.
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On Thursday morning, Staab told Patch that his staff is awaiting an announcement from Gov. J.B. Pritzker on whether the state's stay-at-home order will be extended into May or beyond.
The order for Illinois is currently set to expire April 30. Nearby Wisconsin has extended its stay-at-home order through May 26.
Staab said he expects to have a better idea whether the Joliet Park District will go ahead with Taste of Joliet once Pritzker decides if the stay-at-home order will be extended. He told Patch he should have an update on the status of Taste of Joliet within the next week.
The status of the stay-at-home order will also provide guidance for other Joliet Park District programs and facilities over the summer.
Normally, at this time of spring, Joliet's golf courses are being put to frequent use.
Joliet Park District operates three 18-hole public golf courses across the city: Woodruff, Wedgewood and Inwood. All three courses remain off-limits to golfers amid the ongoing health crisis.
The Joliet Park District also planned to reopen Splash Station water park this summer along Route 6. Splash Station was closed last summer because the park district was facing a budget shortfall at the time.
"For summer, as of right now, we're in a holding pattern," Staab said. "The safety of our community is our number one priority for us."
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This article originally appeared on the Joliet Patch
