Wine, Jazz & Art Fest Returns To Joliet

Celebrate local wine, food, visual arts and live music at the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66′s third annual Wine, Jazz & Art Fest, held at Joliet’s Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park. This riverfront park, located just a hop off of Route 66, will welcome guests for an afternoon and evening of three live jazz acts and wine tastings from two fan-favorite area wineries.

The fest runs from 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, with jazz acts Rhythm Rockets, Harold Dawson and Sam Burns taking the stage at the park’s picturesque amphitheater. Every year, this indoor-outdoor theater hosts shows by more than four community theater troupes, high school drama productions and children’s traveling troupes, bringing exciting live performances to the beautiful multi-use riverfront space.

Joliet’s Concert on the Hill series invites locals and visitors alike to enjoy a genre-hopping variety of free live music every Thursday night in the outdoor bandshell. This weekend’s Wine, Jazz & Art Fest is a great way to experience the space while savoring some delicious food from pop-up vendors and wine tastings for guests age 21 and older – courtesy of Bishops Hill Winery of Joliet and Sable Creek Winery of Romeoville.

Joliet’s own Bishops Hill (310 Bridge St., Joliet), once the headquarters for the Joliet Catholic Diocese and before that the estate of a German brewmaster, is crafting and retailing wine out of a striking, limestone, castle-like structure, located just a few blocks to the northwest of downtown. Handcrafted with passion – and tested by the amazing sommelier, Linda Kloss – these wines can’t be missed. Indulge in the popular 2018 Cab Sav or sample the 2020 Petite Sirah that took gold at the San Francisco International Wine Competition.

During the structure’s extensive restorations, much of the original onsite brewery was discovered and painstakingly restored with reclaimed materials. This grotto-like building houses Bishops Hill’s processing equipment, tanks and barrel-aging rooms. Not only is the wine spectacular, but the atmosphere will keep you returning to the castle.

Sable Creek Winery, which recently moved from its Plainfield location to a new spot in Romeoville (1876 Airport Road, Romeoville), is a seasoned boutique winery producing artisan wine using premier grapes sourced from vineyards in California, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and New York. Starting in 2019 with eight flagship varietals, Sable Creek’s roster and renown have grown. It now features more than 50 different wines, and has made appearances at numerous wine festivals and events.

Sable Creek’s new winery, tasting room and retail space, located in the former Marquette Bank building in Romeoville, already is hosting regular events such as grape stomp harvest parties and its popular Wine and Bingo series.

Bishops Hill Winery and Sable Creek will be onsite during the fest, giving out tastings to ticketed guests and selling bottles of their most popular wines. Everyone attending the fest must have a ticket. Wine Tasting entry tickets get you eight 1-ounce samples of select wines – served by some local celebrities. Ticket purchasers must be ages 21 and older, and must present valid ID at check-in. People who want to enjoy just the live music, food and art vendors, can purchase non-tasting entry tickets. Guests are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets. Tents will be set up along the river featuring merchandise from area artists.

The event, sponsored by Old National Bank, is organized by the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 as a benefit. The fest supports the multilevel museum and performance space that’s on a mission to " … preserve the history of musicians and bands with ties to Illinois … "

While the full museum is still under construction, with exciting new exhibits being installed on the second floor this fall, the first-floor exhibit gallery and gift shop currently are open to the public six days a week. The Rock & Roll Museum’s gift shop is home to official Route 66 passports, limited-edition T-shirts, buttons, magnets, books and much more.

Explore artifacts from some of the past Illinois Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honorees, including such seminal rock bands as Cheap Trick, Styx, Chicago and REO Speedwagon, along with artists including Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy and John Prine.

For information on upcoming events, and to see more of what’s in store for you at the gift shop, visit the website at RoadToRock.org.

IF YOU GO

• WHAT: Wine, Jazz & Art Fest

• WHERE: Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park and Theatre, 201 W. Jefferson St., Joliet

• WHEN: 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24

• INFORMATION: roadtorock.org/upcoming-events