Pekau Concert Series Costs Continue to Skyrocket to near $13 million

By Kathy Fenton

The latest concert in Mayor Pekau's concert series lost over $100,000 pushing the overall financial cost to Orland Park residents to just under $13 million according to village financial records obtained by Inform Orland Park.

The July 13th concert had 3,404 paid attendance with 251 complimentary tickets issued. "Pekau's Folly" concert venue, as many online have nicknamed the venue, has a capacity of 5,000. Despite heavy promotion from the Village of Orland Park's Communication Department, bundling discounts for purchasing multiple tickets to multiple concerts, a large social media push from the village's sites, Mayor Pekau and his political allies, including their personal accounts, the attendance still falls well short of capacity or remotely coming close to breaking even.

These staggering losses do not include the financial costs incurred by additional events held at the venue, including the Farmer's Market, 4th of July festivities, and the Taste of Orland. The additional costs from these events will put the price tag to residents at close to $14 million and counting.

Many disappointed residents have pointed out the venue has no bathrooms or concessions, relying only on portable Port-A-Johns and outside vendor food trucks to service concert goers. Residents also complained sight lines were terrible with no video screen to see the stage. Hardly the "world class" facility Mayor Pekau and his supportive trustees promised residents when they approved this venue without getting taxpayer input.

Furthermore, Mayor Pekau, when asked by a resident at "Coffee with the Mayor" at Orland Square in July, he said no market study was conducted to determine the financial viability of a concert venue, and admitted that the village "does not run it (the venue) like a business." There is still one concert remaining this season that will probably be the costliest of the entire series.

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