The inaugural Illinois Rock & Roll Museum Wine and Jazz Fest will take place at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park in Joliet Sept. 10. The event, a fundraiser for the museum, will feature live jazz, wine tasting and food. (Jeff Banowetz / Daily Southtown)

To aid with the renovation costs of the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 in Joliet, the museum is hosting an inaugural Wine and Jazz Fest Sept. 10 at Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park.

Another aim of the Wine and Jazz Fest was to create a new event in downtown Joliet.

“This is something I wanted to do even before I started working on the museum,” Founder and Executive Director of the museum Ron Romero said. “I own a company that does sound and lighting, and I was hired to do a wine festival in northern Illinois. I wanted to bring the same thing to Joliet. For years, I thought this would be the perfect fundraiser for the museum, but the date and venue never worked out until this year.”

The museum has been a passion project for Romero. He conceived the idea about a decade ago and got the ball rolling in 2016.

Earlier this summer the museum inducted its second class into its hall of fame, and work continues on its permanent location, a building on Cass Street in downtown Joliet built in 1930.

“It’s just a big project,” he said. “We’ve had great help from the community — the union trades, companies and individuals — that have come in and helped renovate. We’re about to do a very big addition on the front of the building, putting in an iconic sculpture of a guitar on the front to attract visitors.

“We have had help from a lot of people to get where we’re at, and we’re moving forward with it, but it has taken longer than we expected,” Romero said.

The Wine and Jazz Fest, which runs from 3 to 8 p.m., will feature offerings from local winemakers, including Bishops Hill of Joliet and Sable Creek Winery of Plainfield.

“It’s intentional,” he said. “We try very hard to keep the business that we do local. Anything that we do, we try to use local businesses.”

Romero’s focus on the area is a big reason that the museum exists in the first place.

“To start with, I’m a big fan of the downtown Joliet area,” he said. “I want to honor and preserve music from Illinois, but it’s also about preserving the city of Joliet and creating an attraction that people want to see.”

The entertainment for the evening will include the Buddy Rich Big Band Machine, the Event Horizon Quartet and the Joliet Junior Faculty Jazz Quartet.

“We’re excited with the lineup,” Romero said. “We have the Buddy Rich Big Band Orchestra. Of course, Buddy Rich has passed away, but his daughter carries on the name and is carrying on his tradition. It’s a 16-piece orchestra, and it’s going to sound amazing.”

The location is also a big draw for Romero — Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park, just across the river from the museum.

“It’s a beautiful park and the perfect location for an event like this,” he said. “There’s a large flat ground where people can sit and enjoy the music and the wine. Bring along your chairs or a blanket and it has that feeling like Ravinia.

Food vendors will offer several options for those looking for a meal, and beer and nonalcoholic beverages will be available for those who don’t want to take advantage of the wine tasting. Romero hopes that this becomes a regular event on the museum’s schedule, even after the construction is finally finished.

“I think this is the type of event that people enjoy, being outside and listening to great music with friends.”

As for the timeline to officially open the doors of the museum, Romero was optimistic.

“Well, the timeline said it was finished two years ago,” he said with a laugh. “But with COVID delays and other road bumps, it is taking longer than we thought. We have to keep getting back out there and letting people know that we’re here and what we’re trying to do.

“We want to preserve the history of the music in Illinois,” he said. “Events like this are helpful to get your name out there, and people love to do this type of thing. It’s a fun night but an important night to get us closer to the finish line.”

Illinois Rock & Roll Museum Wine and Jazz Fest

When: 3-8 p.m. Sept. 10

Where: Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park, 201 W. Jefferson St., Joliet

Tickets: $20 for wine tasting; $10 for non-taste participants

Information: 815-927-1540; roadtorock.org

Jeff Banowetz is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.