Ted Nugent performs during his 2019 tour. (Photo courtesy of tednugent.com)
UPDATE: RidgeFest cancelled over flash mob safety concerns
Editor’s note: Chicago Ridge Mayor Chuck Tokar said Friday that RidgeFest originally set for July 28-30 was being cancelled for this year out of safety concerns as a result of the teen rampage last weekend at a carnival in Tinley Park. It’s the second area event called off because of the threat of teen flash mobs. Evergreen Park’s Most Holy Redeemer Parish called off its annual parish carnival set for mid-June earlier in the week citing the same safety concerns.
By Dermot Connolly
There will be no “Cat Scratch Fever” at RidgeFest this year after the Chicago Ridge Village Board did not approve the contract drawn up to bring Ted Nugent back to the popular summer festival being held July 28-30 at Freedom Park.
Nugent’s performances at RidgeFest in 2007, 2011 and 2013 drew big crowds. When it was announced The Motor City Madman would be returning this year, nearly 450 people “liked” the April 21 notice on the RidgeFest Facebook page.
However, due to Nugent’s vocal support of Donald Trump and vitriol toward Democrats, the thought of him returning drew criticism on Facebook, too. The announcement turned out to be premature, because the Village Board did not get a chance to vote on any of the RidgeFest entertainment contracts until the May 16 village board meeting.
Nugent’s contract was among 10 related to RidgeFest on the agenda, and Trustee Elaine Davenport asked for a separate vote on all of them because deposits had already been submitted for a few before the board saw them.
“I brought this up at time last year, and we were told changes would be made. But here we are again,” said Davenport, who said she had to resort to issuing Freedom of Information requests to even find out if deposits were made.
“It completely takes away from our role as trustees. We are not rubber stamps,” said Davenport. She pointed out that three re-elected trustees were sworn in earlier at the meeting—Bill McFarland, Roger Meslar and Jack Lind—and approving “unauthorized expenditures” goes against the ordinances they swore to uphold.
“I think we talked about that last year. I went through all of them and I could have questioned the language on some of these if we had a chance to see them earlier,” said Meslar.
While the contracts had not been signed, Mayor Chuck Tokar, who leads the RidgeFest organizing committee, acknowledged that deposits were made on a few with time constraints, including half put down on the $67,500 contract for Nugent.
“From what I have read, it doesn’t seem like the deposits are refundable,” said Meslar.
“There has been a deposit on Nugent but it is refundable,” said Tokar. “Generally, they are standardized contracts. But I have had a long-term relationship with these (booking agents) since we started doing this in 1989. We have never had a problem if we have canceled something.”
In the end, the board did approve most of the contracts. Some by a 6-0 margin for popular acts like the Jesse White Tumblers and Dave DiNaso’s reptile show. But music acts such as BTE and Listen to the Music were approved 4-3, with Tokar casting the tie-breaker. Only Davenport voted against Led Zeppelin II, a tribute band, again because of the down payment.
When Nugent’s contract came up for discussion, Meslar said he had concerns because the rider seemed to contract the main contract, and the language appeared to protect Nugent against responsibility if there were problems at the concert.
“That is a genuine concern. I would agree with you there,” said Tokar.
“I just don’t think it would be a good contract. The language in the rider is much broader and appears to indemnify Nugent,” said Meslar.
So, when the contract was brought up for a vote, it died for lack of a second and no vote was taken.
Trustee Ed Kowalski described Nugent as a “polarizing figure” after the meeting, but his political views were not the problem. “In the end, our job is to protect the citizens of Chicago Ridge and the contract did not do that.”
“Unfortunately, the board did not take a vote on Ted Nugent so I don’t think he will be appearing at RidgeFest,” said Tokar, who was working this week on finding a replacement and hoped to have an answer by Friday.
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/CRRidgeFest
38 Comments
Local News
Get those Easter baskets blessed at St. Thomas More
Spread the love. By Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . We’ve got several events coming up in the near future that I want to share with you, so let’s get started. The traditional Blessing of Easter Baskets takes place at St. Thomas More, 2825…
Thome sweet Thome: Nazareth baseball defeats Hall of Famer Jim Thome’s alma mater
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Nazareth baseball team took a road trip to the middle of Illinois and improved its record to 7-0 on March 23 by beating Limestone, 6-0. Limestone is the alma mater of former White Sox player and Baseball Hall of Fame member Jim Thome, who is an assistant coach…
Chicago Catholic League greats headed to Hall of Fame
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent A handful of area stars will be inducted into the Chicago Catholic League Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The list features Kevin Bracken (St. Laurence, wrestling), Kevin Carberry (St. Rita, football), Matt Macievic (De La Salle, cross county and track), Mike McGrew (Mount Carmel, football), Dan Nicholson (Brother Rice,…
Fire II tops Chicago City, advances to to second round of Hunt Open Cup
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Fire II picked up a late invitation to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and beat Chicago City, 6-0, on March 20 in front of an announced crowd of 810 at SeatGeek Stadium. Defender Giovanni Granda and midfielder Vitaliy Hlyut each made their professional debut and scored…
Red Stars top Seattle, open season with two wins for first time in franchise history
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Last year’s last-place finish notwithstanding, the Chicago Red Stars have had a pretty rich history of success. The franchise has seven NWSL playoff appearances and has finished runner-up twice (2019, 2021), and prior to 2022 had finished no lower than fourth in the league ‘s regular season standings for…
College Football | Marian (Indiana) and St. Francis highlight Saint Xavier 2024 home slate
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Saint Xavier has released its 2024 football schedule, which has the Cougars opening the season in Michigan. SXU will travel to the Detroit suburb of Southfield to play Lawrence Tech on Sept. 7 in a Mid-States Football Association crossover. The Cougars’ home opener kicks off at noon on Sept.…
Morton College women’s hoops takes fifth in nation
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent For the second year in a row, the Morton College women’s basketball team finished fifth in the country. The Panthers closed out the 2023-24 campaign in Joplin, Missouri, with a 75-67 victory over Iowa Western on March 23 in the consolation championship game at the NJCAA Division II National…
Boys Volleyball | Marist tops Lockport for Gold at RedHawks Invite
Spread the loveBy Randy Whalen Correspondent Marist enjoys getting its season going by hosting a tournament that is now in its 20th year. They had a good time again this season, going unbeaten over five matches in two days to win the Marist RedHawks Invitational for the sixth consecutive time. The RedHawks ended the tournament…
Public wants free lunch, pollster finds
Spread the love. By Rich Miller . As we’ve discussed before, the competition for scarce state dollars is particularly fierce this year in Springfield as various groups elbow each other for money while large surpluses and revenue increases start to dry up. A poll taken by respected national Democratic pollster Normington Petts in late February…
City wants to buy armory at MDW
Spread the love. Has been vacant since 2017 . By Tim Hadac For decades, it served military purposes, as well as Chicago’s gateway for Presidents stopping off in the city. But the Army National Guard Midway Armory, 5400 W. 63rd St., has been mostly vacant since 2017, when the Illinois Army National Guard ceased operations…
Neighbors
Appeals court skeptical of Mike Bost’s case to stop ballot counts after Election Day
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A panel of federal appellate judges on Thursday seemed skeptical of legal arguments made on behalf of Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, who claims Illinois’ law allowing counting of mail-in ballots for two weeks after an election is in violation of federal law. Bost’s late 2022…
DCFS hires on-the-spot at hiring events
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com Cyrenthia Threat spent Wednesday morning at a hiring event in Fairview Heights waiting for word on whether she was hired by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Threat wants to move to Illinois from Georgia where she works as a social worker. She has 20 years…
Capitol Briefs: Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance
By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear the case of actor Jussie Smollett, who was convicted for staging a hate crime against him in 2019 in a case that drew criticism for Cook County’s top prosecutor. Smollett made what turned out to be…
Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois continues to suffer from a shortage of teachers and other education professionals, although recent efforts by the state to ease the strain have made an impact. That’s according to the latest annual survey of school officials from the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools,…
Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal
COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — Two bills that would regulate battery disposal and storage are awaiting action from the full Illinois Senate after unanimous committee approval. Senate Bill 3481, sponsored by Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, would require facilities that store electric vehicle batteries to register with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency…
Prisoner Review Board chair, member resign in wake of boy’s fatal stabbing by released inmate
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com The longtime chair and a relatively new member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board have resigned, Gov. JB Pritzker’s office announced Monday. The governor’s office announced the pair’s resignations within hours of each other nearly two weeks after Crosetti Brand was released from Stateville Correctional Center. Brand is…
Highest-ranking woman in state police history reflects on experience as force looks to diversify
By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com The night before Rebecca Hooks started at the Illinois State Police Academy in 2002, she spoke on the phone with her father and her brother – both of whom worked in law enforcement. Her father encouraged her, telling her she was strong and could get through the…
After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…
After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…
After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…
This is ridiculous . Wake up it’s freedom of speech. Ted is a true patriot if he was transgender you wouldn’t cancel him. It’s funny how the left can say whatever they want but if you disagree with them you are just horrible. Stop being cowards.
Lol true patriot? You do realize he dedicated on himself to avoid being drafted and defending our freedom.
I don’t blame him as Vietnam had nothing to do with our freedom. Too bad all of the men back then didn’t do that to take a stand against BS wars.
The Vietnam war had nothing to do with defending our freedom. It’s a shame all the military & men didn’t take a stand back then to the BS “war”.
Just crazy where is freedom of speech in this country? you should be thrown out of office
Just shut the fuck up Bill! We don’t want that TRUMP LOVING ASSHOLE performing here! I wish we could CANCEL him and CANCEL your pathetic ass!
Speak for yourself. Our country was so much better off with him in office.
It’s not a freedom of speech issue besides, Nugent sucks. He’s a washed up, jerk off, has-been.
Did he marry a child that he adopted
Ted makes the poor widdle snowflakes cry , the left attacks him while cheering for scum like Roman Polanski or Woody Allen, stupid is as leftists say and do
The right has it’s idiots as well. Look at Majorie Taylor Greene.
You ought to hold a conversation with a Democrat as you seem only to have deranged, cartoonish, and worst of all, false, notion of who we are.
The whole fest is cancelled now anyways because of that bs in Tinley Park a week ago
Well, no need for me to go, guess it’s back to being overcharged for garbage entertainment
Is it just because the liberal left cried? Or because we know they would be the ones to turn things violent because their feeling got hurt?
Politics at RidgeFest? We aren’t in the city my friends. Grow a pair.
IF TED NUGENT ISNT THERE I’M NOT GOING THEIR OTHER MUSIC SUCKS
Watch how many villages cancel 4th of July celebrations because off these skids. Looks like Indiana will make a lot more money on fireworks this year cause Illinois is only one of a few states where there are illegal, but terrorism is. What a joke.
Surprised Ted would want Illinois money any how.. dirty dem money!! He don’t need it.. !!
Wow all politics aside, he’s an avg musician who’s biggest hits are wang dang sweet poontsng and cat scratch fever. I outgrew this moron by the time I was 12
Well fuck that fest then.
I agree with others. Due to the Contract not protecting people? Yeah right. More like they don’t like his political views so they canned him. They can say it’s not about that but i find it odd that the country just so happens to be in political turmoil and ted is likely one of the most outspoken rock n rollers ever. And as Someone else said. The left can say whatever they want and it’s “oh its okay freedom of speech!” Then the right speaks up and it’s considered unacceptable and dangerous and all of a sudden your canceled and freedom of speech is no longer the discussion.
The contract says he isn’t responsible for anything bad that happens. All you pro Nugent people wouldn’t have a problem if he was responsible for whatever happens then right?
Why would anything bad happen it’s only liberal peaceful protesters that would show up to protest?
He’s an entertainer, why would he be held accountable for anything other than not performing
Did he marry a child he adopted ?
Talk about grooming ?
We will be looking for other family entertainment. The Jesse White Tumblers headliners. Really?
Its called Freedom Of Speech Mrs Davenport. RidgeFest gets worse every year! Hope you are proud of yourselves….
My $ will stay in my pocket this year…
Well it doesnt matter anyway, the little black flash mob will ruin the whole festival.
Ban chicago Ridge that liberal ass suburb
Maybe they can hire drag queens! Dumbass people!
When did Ted Nugent not have comments about certain things guys awesome and if you gave them up when you were 12 years old how the h*** are? You now I seen him alive. When I was 16 in 1974 at soldiers field. The guy was a killer along with leonard skinner ariel speedwagon journey and thirty eight special.
Let The Great White Buffalo Roam Freely!
Word is Ted will be replaced with a transgender Asian midget juggler.
So if theybare canceling performers due to political stances. Then maybe that entire board should get replaced. I’d choose Nugent over some snakes or some kids tumbling around anyway.
Hold a.private event close by and have nugent come play . See who’s louder and draws a bigger crowd. Bet they won’t “cancel” him next year. Not that he would attend after this nonsense.
SNOWFLAKES!!!
How about the police presence be amped up and come and out say if you wanna come riot bring it , you will regret it. Thanks democratic ideology, let the animals run free, Yes, they are animals