We regret to inform you that last night, May 26, the Village Board made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s RidgeFest due to safety concerns. This was not an easy decision to make, but the safety of everyone is and always will be first priority of our town.
We regret to inform you that last night, May 26, the Village Board made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s…
Posted by Chicago Ridge Fest on Saturday, May 27, 2023
comments from official closing announcement on Facebook …
Shame every town letting these punks win
RidgeFest is excited to announce the return of the one and only Ted Nugent to our Fest this year!!
Posted by Chicago Ridge Fest on Friday, April 21, 2023
Safety, interesting when you are reeping what you have sowed. And rather than have a true patriot who just might wake the woke, you cancel. So much for FREEDOM PARK! ?
From what I heard, they’re not canceling because of safety reasons they’ve cancelled because of the backlash of having Ted Nugent. It cost them less money to cancel the event instead of getting out of the contract they had with him. Cancel culture at its finest strikes
Whomever booked Nugent in the first place should have known it would be controversial and cause problems. They still could have had the fest without Nugent and gotten local bands. Too bad for the crown of Chicago Ridge, nice people, poor planners.
How about a different solution – Rally for harsher punishment and more police and security. shutting these fests down does nothing to stop the action, What’s next the farmers markets? I don’t think they’ll stop at fests
Sounds like a convenient excuse to not pay Ted Nugent the money you agreed to pay him. The litigation from all the cancelled vendors and performers will be expensive. Either way, Tokar and the board have surrendered to the criminals, letting the trouble makers dictate how we enjoy our summer.
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RidgeFest Called Off For Safety and Security Concerns
A second summer festival bites the dust after Chicago Ridge officials cancel RidgeFest due to concerns about “teen flash mobs.”
by Lorraine Swanson, Patch Staff
Posted Fri, May 26, 2023 at 8:57 pm CT
Updated Fri, May 26, 2023 at 9:05 pm CT
CHICAGO RIDGE, IL — Another community event bites the dust after last weekend’s teen rampage through a Tinley Park carnival. Chicago Ridge Mayor Chuck Tokar announced Friday during a special board meeting that the 2023 RidgeFest, originally set for July 28 through July 30, is being canceled out of safety and security concerns.
Chicago Ridge Village Board trustees went into executive session Friday to discuss “potential litigation” and RidgeFest contracts. No vote was taken at the village board’s regular meeting earlier this week because whether to drop headliner Ted Nugent from the lineup, “due to Nugent’s vocal support of Donald Trump and vitriol toward Democrats,” according to The Reporter. No vote was taken when Nugent’s contract was brought up for a vote, for a lack of a second motion.
Village trustees voted to table approving the remaining contracts related to the festival, after the village board emerged from executive session. Instead, Tokar announced that RidgeFest 2023 was being canceled, citing the Tinley Park incident.
“Tinley Park is not that far away from Chicago Ridge. They know about RidgeFest, I guarantee it,” the mayor said. “The thought of 1,000 or 2,000 kids showing up in a flash mob scares the bejeebers out of me. It scares all of us up here. I think about the safety implications.”
Tokar said no one made the decision to cancel “with a smile on our face.” The mayor said more information would be released next week after the Memorial Day holiday.
Tr. Ed Kowalski said the decision to cancel the popular summer festival wasn’t a question of having enough police resources to secure the festival.
“It’s the fact that we DON’T want to put them in harm’s way,” Kowalski said. “We have to protect our residents, we have to protect our property. This being a fenced-in festival people could get trampled, our workers, our public works people, our police and fire department , we’re putting them at risk of injury or possibly worse.”
“We all know why we’re here,” Kowalski said. “It’s sad we’re in this type of climate.”
Tr. Andrew Siegel said he’s attended every RidgeFest since its inception 33 years ago.
“It’s a shame societal issues are causing this and the lack of justice in [Cook County],” Siegel said. “It’s very sad.”
The cancellation of RidgeFest comes on the heels of Most Holy Redeemer’s decision earlier this week to cancel its parish carnival in Evergreen Park out of similar safety concerns.
Most of the summer festivals and carnivals returned in 2022, after most were blanked out by the pandemic two years prior.
“We don’t hold anybody accountable anymore,” Tr. Bill McFarland said.
Sources for Report
Chicago Ridge Fest
May 27 at 10:23 AM
https://www.facebook.com/CRRidgeFest/posts/pfbid028A3n6BSoesEGWxYkxczgUmRXaDqYL5Q7VmHdQLiMKMrCpS38LuLPeo9oUR9M5kgul
RidgeFest Called Off For Safety and Security Concerns
by Lorraine Swanson Updated Fri, May 26, 2023 at 9:05 pm CT
https://patch.com/illinois/oaklawn/ridgefest-called-safety-security-concerns
