Webbly Greens (Morris) wins 1st Place at Battle of the Bands July 25, 2015

Last Saturday’s Battle of the Bands was hailed a success by event coordinators at Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park in downtown Joliet. The six competing bands drew a crowd of over 200 people.

The winning band, Webbly Greens of Morris, took home the First Place cash prize of $600. Coming in Second Place was Bulletproof of Plainfield, earning $500 in cash among the artists, and the Third Place cash prize of $400 went to Crest Hill’s As Giants band.  Special applause goes to the top three winning bands and their members.

First Place was Webbly Greens (Morris):  Dave Duggins (lead vocals/rhythm guitar), Eric Meade (lead guitar), Brody Wick (percussion) and Tim Kopecky (bass/backing vocals).

Second Place went to Bullet Proof (Plainfield):  Audrey Behun Behun (lead singer/ rhythm guitarist), Luke Sever (lead guitarist), Noe Vital (bassist/ backup vocals) and Draven Castrovillari (drummer).

Third Place went to As Giants (Crest Hill): Tyler Arnoff (guitar, vocals), Jacob Vidovich (guitar, vocals), Paolo Fernandez (bass) and Joey Fernandez (drums).

The musical extravaganza brought visitors from as near as Crest Hill as far as Elmhurst to the north and Morris and Coal City to the south to enjoy the six competing bands perform in the scenic setting along the historic bluffs along the river in downtown Joliet. “It was great to see so many first time visitors and hear how they want to come back for more!” said Deanna Opsahl, Park Office Assistant.

“All the band members were great to work with. In spite of the high heat, the attitudes were chill and relaxed from sound checks to performance time. It was a long day for all the performers, so we give them a lot of credit,” notes Park Technical Director Eric Moniger.

The audience on the big hill heard six bands compete: Apollo (Plainfield), As Giants (Crest Hill), Bulletproof (Plainfield), Lakehead (Joliet), Lost Connection (Plainfield) and Webbly Greens (Morris).

With most audience members at the Park for the first time, they were pleasantly surprised to discover the other affordable entertainment Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park has to offer.

In just the last six weeks, there have had an estimated 3490 people experiencing the Park’s programs, between the weekly free “Concerts On The Hill” with quality, family entertainment, live Rocky Horror Show  musical that packed the indoor theatre for each of its five shows, the 15^th annual “Summertime On-Stage” Youth Drama 4-week camp with over 50 children ages 5 to 18, two performances of Chitty Chitty Bang, Bang by the youth campers for full houses, and now the Battle of the Bands.

“It’s been a busy summer,” notes Craig Smith, Park Operating Engineer. “And it’s not over yet, there’s still more to come!”

The Joliet Drama Guild Presents their summer musical, “The Joliet Follies of 2015,” August 7-9 & 14-16, which showcases various local talent, auditions for Latitude 41’s “Of Mice And Men” August 3 and 4 at 7:00 pm, “The Spirit of All Hallows Eve” on August 10 & 11 at 6:00 pm and the free “Concerts On The Hill” every Thursday at 6:30 pm until August 27.

A very special concert will be coming Tuesday, August 18 at 6:30 pm. The Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park is proud to be the only venue in the south suburbs of Chicago to host the United States Air Force’s Shades of Blue Jazz Ensemble from Scott Air Force Base.

The Park is honored to host this free concert of first-class musicians and vocalists that will perform swinging classics from the big band era, modern jazz pieces and even their own arrangements.

Their finale will pay tribute to those in the audience who served in the miliary. On Tuesday, August 18, the Park encourages audience members to join the fun and wear their own shade of blue!

Bringing affordable, quality entertainment for families to downtown Joliet continues to be the bench mark of Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park and Theatre, and thus making a direct and positive economic impact on Joliet. As the Park looks to celebrate its 40th anniversary season in 2016, all involved are eager to build on the momentum created during this summer’s programming. Mrs. Billie Limacher’ s goal for the park is to support the local artists of all kinds. With this recent Battle of the Bands, she is pleased to see the Park’s repertoire expanding. The park staff looks forward to seeing success come to all the bands that registered for the battle, as well as the future Park events in the works.

The Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park & Theatre is located at 201 West Jefferson Street in Joliet. Uniquely situated between the I&M Canal and limestone bluffs, a few blocks from historic Route 66, the venue features an indoor theatre, outdoor bandshell, large pavilion, ten acres of scenic walkways, flower beds, historic markers and outdoor artwork. Indoor and outdoor events are scheduled throughout the year, drawing thousands of visitors annually to downtown Joliet, Illinois.

Bicentennial Park is proud to announce the launch of our new website. Built in a state-of-the-art platform, the new website utilizes responsive technology that will give visitors an enhanced experience on their phone and tablets, as well as desktop computers. The new website also has user-friendly features like show listings and schedules, photo galleries of historic photos, The site also enables visitors to “Like” and “Share” information to their social media sites. “With the launch of the new website, we are providing a more engaging way to communicate with our residents and friends of the Park,” explains Rich Liebich, Park Manager. “We can now keep our theater fans informed and give them a way to promote the events through social media, it’s a win-win for everybody.”

Visitors to the website are encouraged to sign up to receive email alerts about upcoming shows, events and performances at Joliet’s one-of-a-kind riverfront park and theater venue.