Rialto Up For Academy Of Country Music Award

JOLIET, IL — The Rialto Square Theatre in downtown Joliet has been regarded as one of the top 10 performing centers in North America, and the Academy of Country Music Awards has selected the Rialto as one of the national finalists for the top theater of the year honor.

"The team at the Rialto is incredibly excited and honored to be nominated for this prestigious award, and would like to thank all of its volunteers, patrons, and supporters for making the theatre the amazing place it is today. We are so grateful for the support we have received throughout the past years, and are especially thankful for our management team at VenuWorks for everything they have done," Rialto officials announced Friday.

Only five venues in the U.S. are up for the April 5 country music award. The nominees are:

• The Beacon Theatre – New York, NY
• The Chicago Theatre – Chicago, IL
• DeJoria Center – Salt Lake City, UT
• Rialto Square Theatre – Joliet, IL
• Ruth Eckerd Hall – Clearwater, FL

As Joliet Patch reported earlier this week, Joliet Mayor Bob O'Dekirk cited the Rialto's turnaround during Monday's annual state of the city speech. Joliet's mayor said the Rialto's success has been one of the most under-reported news stories in the city.

Meanwhile, at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29, the Rialto will be singing the blues, as blues icon Buddy Guy will perform at the Rialto in front of a near-sellout crowd.

The Rialto does, however, have a trio of country music acts coming to Joliet the following weekend as "Country Unplugged" performs at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 7.

"Country Unplugged" features Joe Diffie, Mark Chesnutt, & David Lee Murphy on stage together for one night of country classic hits from the 1990s. On April 9, country music outlaw Gary Allan will play at the Rialto for a 7:30 p.m. show.

RELATED: America's Got Talent Winner Books Rialto Show For October