Carnival of Soul

JOLIET, IL — Joliet is finally capitalizing on the international tourism traffic that passes through Joliet because of historic Route 66. More than 10,000 people from 12 different countries visited the Old Joliet Prison in 2019 for guided tours or special events. This summer, a completely different tourist draw hopes to open: the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66.

It’s in downtown Joliet, directly across from one of the most popular live music venues outside of Chicago, The Forge.

Local musician Ron Romero is the pioneer behind the not-for-profit rock-n-roll museum. On the plus side, Romero has a lot of connections inside the music industry. On the minus side, he does not have deep pockets like Warren Buffett or Bill Gates. He hasn’t been able to bankroll the creation of the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum overnight.

But Romero is committed to his mission of bringing thousands of new visitors annually to Joliet and he’s persistent. He has built a following on social media. The Illinois Rock & Roll Museum On Route 66 – which is not even open yet – already has more than 20,000 Facebook Likes and 20,000 Facebook Followers.

(Patch article continues below photo of Ron Romero.)

Romero first went public with his vision for a new Joliet museum in 2017. Last year marked his biggest step forward. He had finally raised enough money to purchase a 9 W. Cass Street, a three-story building that dates back to the 1920.

“We continue to build memberships and have been diligently looking for grants and funding,” Romero told Patch. “We are starting to get noticed and have begun the application process to some of the possible funding sources and things are going well. Getting the first floor ready is a short obtainable goal but we have a long way to go to finish all three floors.”

To answer your questions about the important upcoming tourism project, Patch assembled the following information from the new museum’s website and its social media sites.

When will the Joliet museum open to visitors?

As with any extensive building renovation or remodeling project, there’s no guarantee the museum will open as scheduled, but Romero has told Patch that he wants to have at least one floor open by mid to late summer, to capitalize on the Route 66 traffic passing through Joliet.

What will you find inside?

When it opens, there will be exhibit space, a performance music hall and the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 Music Hall of Fame, a gift shop and the Road To Rock Radio online streaming radio station. This permanent museum will tell the story of several noteworthy Illinois musicians and bands through displays of their memorabilia and artifacts including instruments, records, photographs, clothing, stage props, sheet music and lyrics, as well as their recordings.

What music stars will be honored?

Nat King Cole, Sam Cook, Chicago, Cheap Trick, Styx, Smashing Pumpkins, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, The Buckinghams, REO Speedwagon, The Cryan’ Shames, Disturbed, Chess Records, the Plain White T’s and many others.

How will this be different than Ohio?

The national Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland only displays a small sampling of artifacts of Illinois artists. The new Joliet museum would allow for a more robust Illinois-focused exhibition. There is no other similar museum anywhere in the state including Chicago.

Why is the Joliet museum needed?

The three-story downtown building will house historic artifacts, honor musicians and bands with Illinois ties and educate visitors of our rich music history here in Illinois. The museum is not affiliated with any other museums, music related or not, but is a non profit organization.

What kind of music will be showcased?

There will be exhibits featuring early jazz and blues influences to the birth and rise of rock and roll, and the emergence of Illinois artists whose influences have had significant impact.

Are my Illinois taxes going up to pay for this?

Absolutely not. All of this is made possible through museum memberships, private and corporate sponsors and donors and grants. We are thankful for everyone’s support in this historic mission to create a home for Illinois music.

This seems like a great project for Joliet and Illinois. Can I donate to the cause?

The Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 has an active membership campaign underway. To join, it’s $20 per year for senior citizens, $25 per year for a senior couple, $35 annually for adults or $45 per household. To learn more about memberships, visit the “We are getting members from all over the country now. As far as away Washington State, California, Texas and Florida,” Romero told Patch.

What are the advantages of being a member?

You’ll get: voting rights for the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum Hall of Fame, free admission to visit the museum any day during regular hours, gift shop discounts, get 10 percent off store purchases, quarterly newsletters on upcoming events and exhibits. Plus, there’s members-only events for special events and exhibits (with some exceptions).

What else should I know?

Below is a look back at several positive developments over recent months:

From Jan. 16, 2020: