Whitesnake, Foghat to play at South Elgin's VASA Park
Ron Onesti has been searching for the perfect place to hold outdoor concerts, and he believes he has found it in South Elgin's VASA Park.
The park, located off Route 31, has been chosen as the venue for Onesti Entertainment's premiere Arcada Under the Stars concert July 17. The concert will feature English rock bands Whitesnake and Foghat.
If all goes well, this could be the start of a concert series at VASA Park featuring other genres such as R&B, pop and country, Onesti said.
"There are so many amenities - parking, the backdrop of the (Fox) River - that make it such a wonderful live concert experience," Onesti said. "I wanted to take that property and maybe turn it into a Ravinia of the Fox Valley."
Onesti, CEO and president of the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, said he has been putting on outdoor concerts nationally, including in Elgin, for many years. He had been looking for another community in the area to which he could expand the Arcada experience, he said.
Onesti first hoped to bring the concert to the Gunnar Anderson Forest Preserve in Geneva, he said, but the city eventually shot down the idea.
"It did not seem they were prepared to accommodate the level of entertainment I was seeking to bring to their community," he said.
With the popularity of the headliner, Onesti expected a large crowd, he said. Even before a venue was confirmed, Onesti Entertainment sold thousands of tickets to the July concert.
VASA Park has handled large events before, said park President Judy Seifert, including the Scandinavian Festival that draws thousands of people each year. With an open field for parking and a large concert space along the river, Onesti said it was exactly what he was looking for.
Onesti has been working with the Village of South Elgin, as well as the Kane County sheriff's department, to handle crowd control, security and safety measures.
In addition to providing his own security, Onesti is paying to have a few officers assist in patrolling the area and directing traffic, said Lt. Pat Gengler, director of administration at the sheriff's office. The South Elgin and Countryside Fire Protection District will provide medical care on site.
Gengler said Onesti even expressed interest in going door-to-door informing VASA's neighbors of the concert.
"He's making sure this event is handled the right way," Gengler said.
Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased at oshows.com. Reserved and lawn seating are available. A full bar and food will be available for purchase at the event.
Onesti said he expects to bring a great show and a quality experience to the people of the Fox Valley.
"We have a unique formula of personal touch and a family feel to our shows," he said. "We're just broadening it to a wider audience outdoors."