McHenry Rotary’s Bands, Brews and BBQ canceled

In its best years, Blues, Brews & BBQ raised upwards of $50,000 for the McHenry Area Rotary Club, an organizer said.

Renamed Bands, Brews & BBQ in 2023 to change up the musical lineup in hopes of drawing in more attendees, the annual event’s revenue continued to dwindle.

While “the attendance and the profits continued to spiral down, costs continued to rise,” planning committee co-chairman Don Tonyan said, adding that in 2024, the summer event, held since 2012, only brought in $25,000.

The Rotary Club announced via the Bands, Brews and BBQ Facebook page that the event is, for now, over.

“McHenry Area Rotarians are mulling options for other fund-raising opportunities in the interim, and we’ll let you know what transpires,” according to the post.

Competition for attendees, combined with rising costs, is much of the reason why the committee decided it was time to end the event, Tonyan said.

“There is a lot of free music” happening in McHenry now, from weekend shows at Miller Point Park to Thursday nights at the Pearl Street Market, he said.

The club is seeking new fundraising opportunities to continue donating towards programs including Kids in Need of McHenry County, the Family Health Partnership Clinic, the District 156 Dual Credit Program and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, among others.

Ideas being bandied about include a one-night event at an indoor McHenry venue, or working with Mayor Wayne Jett and the McHenry Music Festival in some capacity, Tonyan said.

“We have been negotiating with Rotary” to determine how the festival - formerly known as the RISE Up festival - could use the organization’s volunteers and still allow it to raise money for its programs, Jett said.

What never changed for Rotary was the amount of volunteers and the charity shown by the crowds, Tonyan said.

“The times were always good, and we made a fair amount from our beverages,” Tonyan said. “With tips and donation though, people were always charitable and we appreciate that.”