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Taste of Orland Park Draws Over 35k Attendees in Triumphant Return to Village Center
The Village of Orland Park is celebrating the resounding success of its 22nd annual Taste of Orland Park, presented by Northwestern Medicine, which welcomed more than 35,000 attendees over the course of the weekend.
Returning to its original home at the Orland Park Village Center, the three-day festival drew record crowds and enthusiastic community support.
“This was a spectacular weekend for the Orland Park community,” said Mayor Jim Dodge. “Bringing the Taste back to the Village Green created a vibrant, community-centered atmosphere, and the response from attendees was phenomenal.”
Alongside two entertainment stages and a full lineup of family-friendly attractions, the event featured a wide selection of Orland Park’s most popular restaurants, including Barraco’s, Buona Beef, Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant, Crave Cookies, Irish Patriot, Jamba Juice, Joey’s Red Hots, Mo’s Chinese Kitchen, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Orland Ale House, Papa Joe’s Italian Restaurant, Pueblito, Taqueria Los Comales, The Original Rainbow Cone and Tradycja Polish Fusion Cuisine.
Headliners lit up the main stage each night, with 1980s tribute band Sixteen Candles kicking things off on Friday. Saturday night featured back-to-back performances by classic rock vocalists Tommy DeCarlo, formerly of Boston, and Jason Scheff, formerly of Chicago.
On Sunday, thousands gathered to hear One Vision of QUEEN featuring Marc Martel deliver a powerful tribute to the legendary band.
Additional performances by fan favorites including The Alika Arlynn, Dancing Queen, Anchors Away, Altered Five Blues Band, 7th Heaven, Sparks Fly and Shake Baby Shake kept the energy high throughout the weekend.
“With more than 35,000 attendees at the Taste, I’m proud to share that there were no reported incidents,” said Orland Park Police Chief Eric Rossi. “I want to extend my gratitude to our officers and staff for ensuring the event remained safe for everyone.”
The Community Stage also drew strong crowds with a lineup that included Live Band Karaoke, a competitive Battle of the Bands, and the return of Orland Park’s Got Talent, featuring 14 local contestants.
Friday night featured a synchronized drone show set to themed music, while a fireworks display closed out the event on Sunday.
At the August 5 Meeting of the Village Board, Orland Park elected officials expressed their gratitude to the dedicated staff, participating restaurants, community organizations, and event sponsors who helped make the weekend a success.
“All weekend long, residents shared how much they enjoyed the atmosphere, entertainment and variety of food,” said Recreation and Parks Director Ray Piattoni. “The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and we’re already exploring ways to enhance the venue and entertainment for next year.”
In addition to presenting sponsor Northwestern Medicine, sponsors included Astound, Christopher B. Burke Engineering Ltd., Comcast, ComEd, Dave & Buster’s, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, M.E. Simpson Co. Inc., Peoples Bank, Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union, Power Home Remodeling, Renewal by Andersen, Silver Lake Country Club, Spaceco, V3 Companies, Chiro One Wellness Centers, Raising Cane’s, Sunrun and Waste Management.
For details on upcoming village events, visit orlandpark.org/events.
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Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
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