December 25, 2024
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RISE Up Festival coming back to McHenry in 2024 after hiatus, Jett announces

Parks again to benefit from festival proceeds

By Janelle Walker

Austin Burke and band play on stage during the RISE Up music festival in 2021 at Petersen Park in McHenry. Other acts that year included Sugar Ray, Smash Mouth and Brantley Gilbert, with proceeds supporting a new splashpad. (Lucy Dolan for Shaw Local/Matthew Apgar)

While hyping yet-to-be-disclosed headliners for the 2024 RISE Up music festival in McHenry on Facebook Saturday, co-organizer Wayne Jett announced the concerts will return Sept. 12-14 to Petersen Park.

Proceeds from the 2024 festival will go toward making a McHenry park compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Jett, also McHenry’s mayor, said in a text to the Northwest Herald.

“We will be spending $1.4-$1.6 (million) in artists/bands for all 3 days.”

—  Wayne Jett, McHenry Mayor and RISE Up Foundation official

The RISE Up Foundation, organized by Jett and his wife Amber Jett, put on the concert series in 2021 and 2022, but decided to forgo the event in 2023 to give volunteers a break, the mayor said in March.

The 2024 festival will include two nights of country music performers and one night of rock acts, Jett wrote.

“We will be spending $1.4-$1.6 (million) in artists/bands for all 3 days,” he said.

The two previous concerts raised a total of $450,000 for McHenry projects. Proceeds from the 2021 festival – delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic – went to funding the splash park water feature at the Fort McHenry playground in Whispering Oaks Park.

The 2022 concert, headlined by Brad Paisley, raised $200,000 for the recently renovated Miller Point Park.

ADA compliance is the next funding beneficiary, he said.

“The RISE Up Foundation is thrilled to announce that the funding raised from our 2024 concert will be dedicated to making parks more inclusive and ADA accessible,” according to a Sept. 22 announcement on the RISE Up Foundation Facebook page.

“Our goal is $400k+ for ADA park which we don’t have available in the city,” Jett wrote. “The park would be totally revamped. Veterans Park on Pearl Street in McHenry.”

Jett said he hopes to release the headline acts on Thanksgiving weekend.

One headliner for 2024 “confirmed as of a few days ago. Another should approve in the next week or so,” Jett said.

The teaser posted to Facebook boasted: “Get ready to be blown away by an unforgettable performance that will leave you wanting more.”

The main festival sponsors will be Castle Auto Group, Buss Ford and Sunnyside Company, Jett added.

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