The Concert Series is staying.
Taste of Orland Park, however, is moving.
New Orland Park Mayor Jim Dodge and three new trustees chafed at spending and lost money from the Centennial Park West Concert Series and were told that this year’s series is projected to lose $500,000.
The expenses for this year’s three shows are more than $1 million and Director of Recreation and Parks Ray Piattoni told the board at the May 19 Committee of the Whole meeting that most of that is tied up in hiring the bands and the village cannot get out of those contracts.
Dodge knows it’s too late to cancel the shows so the village will live with the loss.
“I have some strong opinions about that, but going forward, we’re going to address the process of these contracts in the future,” Dodge said.
Thus, the shows will go on with Firefall, Ambrosia and Pablo Cruise performing on July 12, Lynyrd Skynyrd on Aug. 8 and Trace Adkins on Aug. 30.
At the regular meeting later that night, the board voted 4-3 to move the 2025 Taste of Orland Park from Centennial Park West back to the grounds around Village Hall, also known as Village Green. It was moved to CPW last year after the park received a massive $12 million face-lift.
Board holdovers William Healy, Cynthia Nelson Katsenes and Michael Milani voted “no” while Dodge and new trustee Dina Lawrence, John Lawler and Joanna M. Liotine Leafblad voted for the switch.
Lawler said during his campaign, people expressed disappointment in the new venue.
“Village Green is in the center of Orland Park and it appeals to more people there,” Lawler said.
Piattoni said that the Taste loses roughly $100,000 per year. He said that last year, it drew a hefty 30,000 people to the event at the CPW venue.
“It’s a beautiful venue and it’s a shame we’re not using it for Taste of Orland,” Katsenes said.
Milani sees it as a move backward not only for vendors but for the performers as well.
“Now they get to perform in a parking lot on a smaller stage about 1/3rd of the size, if not smaller, than what they had planned to play on,” Milani said. “That’s pretty glamorous.”
Lawrence said that more than two-thirds of the people she has talked with did not like CPW as much as Village Green.
“The most expressed reason that I remember hearing was about it feeling more neighborly,” she said of Village Green. “Moving it back – maybe we won’t do it forever, maybe we’ll change it back – is good for that reason. They liked that neighborhood feel at Village Green.”
The Taste is scheduled for Aug 1-3. As of May 19, bands and vendors had not been informed of the change and some board members fear that they could pull out because of the smaller facility.
On the first day, Sixteen Candles headlines the main stage with ABBA Tribute band Dancing Queen and country singer Alika Arlynn serving as warm-up bands.
The Saturday headliner is Tommy DeCarlo, formerly of Boston, and Jason Scheff, formerly of Chicago. Backing them is the Altered Five Blues Band and 7th Heaven.
One Vision Queen, featuring Marc Martel closed things up on the final day with Taylor Swift tribute band Sparks Fly and Shake Baby Shake as backup bands.
Extension on hold
Some residents from the Orland Hills East subdivision living in the Elm Street/92nd Ave. area protested an extension proposal at the Committee of the Whole meeting, citing safety and traffic issues.
Milani pointed out that fire and police departments’ access would be much improved with the extension.
The board voted 7-0 to rescope the project and it will be brought up at another time if that area gets new development.
“It’s settled for now,” Dodge said. “If and when there is a parcel development, we will have to have this discussion again, per state law.”
Moving Taste of Orland Park back to Village Green is a huge mistake….financially. As a Orland Park resident, I have never received so much interest in the Taste and concert series from out of town friends as I have this year. Last year was testing the waters but received many accolades and positive feedback. I see moving back as a step in the wrong direction. Sad to see this happen.