In less than two weeks, as more than 1,200 spectators a day detrain from the Blue or Green Line el and the Metra train stations to seek out competitive soccer, badminton and tennis play at OPRF High School and Barrie Park July 16-20 during the seventh quadrennial Gay Games Sports and Cultural Festival, Rich Carollo will be smiling. He has diligently lobbied with the Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Association (OPALGA) to bring a portion of the international sporting event to Oak Park. Now the President and CEO of the Oak Park Area Convention and Visitors Bureau is poised to host it, and cash in?#34;Oak Park stands to receive a portion of the $80,000,000 Mayor Richard Daley expects Gay Games VII to generate.
“When we look at our tourism product, it is good, but we are challenged by our limited hotel rooms, meeting facilities, and function spaces, so we have to take advantage of opportunities as they arise,” Carollo says. “We didn’t go out expecting to land the Games themselves. We just wanted to be involved with them, so we stayed in the loop, and became the West Sports Village.”
Like the international Winter or Summer Olympic Games, Carollo continues that the Games will showcase 12,000 amateur to elite athletes from over 70 countries in 30 sport competitions. The eight-day spectacle will emanate from five Sports Villages and a Hub?#34;three sites in Chicago, and venues in Oak Park, Hyde Park and Evanston. Additionally, the Games will feature cultural events, band and choral performances, art shows and parties. The goal is to promote a worldwide community of friendship, support and fun, he says.
In preparation for the steady stream of Oak Park visitors, the former Logos store at Oak Park and North Boulevard will be transformed into a decorative corridor to OPRF High School and Barrie Park. Likewise, another complementary location on south Lombard Avenue will guide visitors to south side soccer play, plus pull them into the Harrison Street Business District. Oak Park Shuttles will offer free transport, and volunteers will man Oak Park booths in Chicago at the Hilton and Towers, and locally, at OPRF High School and Barrie Park to maintain and build marketing momentum.
“Last year we had the Harry Potter Festival, so this year we really didn’t have anything on that scale that would bring people here, so hosting part of the Gay Games was an opportunity to get our name out there on a national and international perspective during a week of the Gay Games being in town in Chicago,” Carollo says. “Actually, I was involved in the original bid for the Games when I worked in Chicago at that Bureau. There is already a large Gay community in Oak Park, River Forest, and all of the western Cook County, so participating in this is a great fit for us, and potentially, a new marketing niche.”
While Oak Park could have had more events, Carollo contends, his group and OPALGA were unable to obtain facilities and routes that would have appropriately accommodated track and field or cycling competitions, for example. Instead, they worked with OPRF High School and the Park District, which went very well, he says.
“For two years now, we teamed with OPALGA to create our Gay Pride Parade float, which we call the Big O,” he laughs. “It was a lot of fun this year, and especially important for us because we don’t want the Thursday, July 20 to come, and then we’re done with the Gay community. We want to continue to work with OPALGA, and be part of the Chicago Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.”
Some 30 local businesses are sponsoring the event at different levels, he continues. Representatives from Fly Bird, Great Harvest, At the Gallery and Careful Peach Boutique have collaborated with him in early morning biweekly planning meetings, and done more. Oak Park Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Papa Spiros, Cucino Paradiso the Wednesday Journal, Inc., Altcare Health Center, Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation and OPALGA have stepped up with substantial sponsorships. Also, The Avenue Association and Harrison Street Business Districts have provided tremendous support, he adds.
As the days draw near, hundreds of volunteers still needed to run all aspects of the events. Potential volunteers, he suggests, should visit the Oak Park Convention and Tourism’s micro-site, www.visitoakpark.com, where anyone can click a link to sign on.