Arlington Park news release
Contact: David Zenner
Dzenner@arlingtonpark.com
41,369 WELCOME LEE DeWYZE HOME AT ARLINGTON PARK
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (May 14, 2010) – A throng of 41,369 was on hand at Arlington Park Racecourse Friday to witness an emotional homecoming performance by American Idol finalist Lee DeWyze. Under near perfect weather conditions, the local Idol standout performed 10 songs plus snippets of a couple others with acoustical guitar accompaniment while fans young and old alike showed their support for the area resident who advanced to the Final Three on “American Idol” earlier this week.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the enthusiastic response Lee received from his legion of fans and it’s easy to see why Lee has been successful,” said Arlington Park President Roy Arnold. “We hope everyone had a great time at Arlington Park and we’ll all be rooting for Lee as he continues on his journey to stardom.”
The Mini Concert was the culmination of a day-long blitz of the Chicago area that began in downtown Chicago for an early in the morning appearance on the FOX-32 show “Good Day Chicago” followed by a number of radio station appearances.
Heading north, DeWyze made a stop at an AT&T store in Skokie and then threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Wrigley Field before making two school visits and having a parade in his honor in his hometown of Mount Prospect. After the parade, it was on to Arlington Park for DeWyze and his family.
The event began with a video following DeWyze’s rise to fame on this season’s “American Idol” and was followed by presentations featuring Mount Prospect Mayor Irvana Wilks and Village of Arlington Heights Mayor Pro-Tem Tom Hayes. After being introduced by the racecourse’s traditional Call to Post, the performance climaxed with a stellar and emotional performance by Lee that included several songs he previously performed on “American Idol” and four original compositions.
Arlington Park – the Chicago area’s premier Thoroughbred racetrack located in Arlington Heights, Ill. – will run a 91-day meet in 2010 from Thursday, April 29 through Sunday, Sept. 26. Arlington Park, whose parent company is Churchill Downs Incorporated (Nasdaq: CHDN), also operates 10 off-track, simulcast-wagering facilities: Trackside Arlington Park (Arlington Heights), Trackside Chicago, Trackside Quad City Downs (East Moline), Trackside Waukegan, Shooters Bar & Grill at Don Carter Lanes featuring Trackside Rockford, Fat Sam’s Bar & Grill featuring Trackside OTB in Lockport, Lucky’s featuring Trackside OTB in South Elgin, Nicolino’s featuring Trackside OTB in McHenry, Tad’s Sports Bar & Grill featuring Trackside OTB in South Beloit and Salerno-Pincente Ristorante featuring Trackside OTB in Hodgkins. Information on Arlington Park can be found online at www.arlingtonpark.com.
