Farmers Weekly Review

By Stephanie Irvine

Blazing hot sun and 90-degree temperatures didn’t stop crowds of families, youth sports teams and curious locals from attending the Wintrust Crossroads sports complex grand opening celebration Saturday, June 28.

The event kicked off with New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann throwing out the first pitch to his father, Al.

Scores of people attended, eager to get a look at the state-of-the-art sports facility where their teams might very well be scheduled to play. One of those families included 10-year-old Hunter Connell and his father, John.

“I’m looking forward to having fun!” said Hunter, who, along with his teammates, attended the event wearing their New Lenox Rebels baseball uniform.

Connell plays catcher, and although they won’t get to play an official game at the facility since their season is winding down, they’re looking forward to playing there next year.

“It looks like a great facility with a lot of nice amenities,” John Connell said. “It’s awesome that it’s close to home. We travel a long ways away, every weekend, to tournaments. It’s nice to finally have something at home, where we can host some tournaments for a change and not have to travel to Peoria or Iowa or Indiana.

“We’re going to Maryland on Tuesday, because there’s been no facilities like this until now,” adding that the New Lenox facility is unlike any others they’ve visited.

Something for everyone

There was plenty to do and see at the Grand Opening event, with family-friendly events taking place at all of the fields, from soccer to kickball, baseball and softball fun drills, bags games, face-painting, have some fun on the playground equipment.

The only thing missing was some shade, though families could make their way to the Coors Light Chill Zone, a large bar and grill located near the entrance, to cool off with a refreshing drink.

New Lenox residents – including Laura and Kyle Walther and their children — flocked to the family fun day.

“We’re really excited with two young kids,” Laura Walther said, with her husband, Kyle, adding, “It’s huge. It’s going to be a great addition to the community.”

Their young children, Maggie, age 3, and Connor, age 5, Walther, painted rocks in the tent sponsored by KidsWork Children’s Museum, which recently built its facility in New Lenox.

For visitors who will be venturing farther into the massive facility, there are two conveniently located auxiliary concession stands. Some visitors brought bicycles and golf carts to traverse the enormous 100-acre facility.

“It’s absolutely amazing. We’ve been to a few facilities around, and this is by far the best one, hands-down,” said Matt Darling, of New Lenox.

Darling attended with his family, and his 10-year-old daughter, Charlotte, who got her face painted. All three of the Darlings’ children are in sports, playing baseball, softball and soccer.

A team effort

The event began with a formal welcoming ceremony and brief words from Baldermann; Matt Grusecki, President of Northern Builders that built the project; and Mike Kelly, Executive Vice President of The Sports Facilities, which will manage the project.

Out of the many individuals and organizations that Baldermann lauded, he particularly noted the cooperation among governing bodies and specifically the exceptional work by the park district, which staffs and operates the facility.

He expressed gratitude to everyone in attendance, plus everyone who helped make the project a reality.

“I knew I had the team that could make it happen,” Baldermann said, adding that as mayor, “it’s important to have the vision, but (then) get out of the way.

“This is a town of 30,000 people, and we have more to offer than communities five times our size.”

Grusecki’s comments focused on the pace of the project, which was completed on-time and in 15 months, exceeding expectations to get the job done, despite cold winter days and hot summer ones like that of opening day.

Kelly brought some jaw-dropping numbers, stating that the national youth sports landscape is a $50 billion industry. As of opening day, 32 events are already booked for every weekend through June 2026, which will bring over 2,000 athletes to the facility.

“If you’re going to be wrong, this is a good number to be wrong on,” Kelly added, noting they had revised the facility’s economic impact from the original projection.

It’s now expected to bring in $37.2 million, outpacing the projected revenue by more than three times original estimates of $13 million, which elicited several “wows” from the crowd.

This revenue will fund the construction of the 140,000-square foot-fieldhouse, which will bring indoor sports like basketball, volleyball and tennis to the facility.

Baldermann emphasized that he didn’t want the village to overspend on the project before they could have a chance to bring in revenue.

The facility has 1,300 parking space, not counting the ones expected to come with the dual-brand hotels planned for the development. That will bring in more revenue for the village, officials say, as well as provide a place to stay for those travelling to the area for tournaments. Baldermann said more restaurants are clamoring to build in proximity to the complex, too.

Turns out Baldermann’s instinct to turn down 1 million square feet of retail, which was the original idea for the property in 2007, and instead buy the land and build a sports facility, ended up being a lucrative decision; one of which his father is proud:

“Somebody said to me once how genuine Tim is. He’s not a politician-type person, and that sometimes gets him in trouble. But he’s really a good guy.”

Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.

New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann, right, and his father, Al, cool off their hands after trading pitches to open festivities for the new sports complex. (Photos by Stephanie Irvine)

Charlotte Darling, age 10, gets her face painted at the Wintrust Crossroads Sports Complex grand opening.

Maggie (age 3) and Connor (age 5) Walther, paint rocks at the KidsWork Childrens’ Museum tent at the Wintrust Crossroads Sports Complex grand opening weekend.

New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann welcomes the crowd attending the June 28 grand opening of the Wintrust Crossroads Sports Complex on 100 acres located between the Silver Cross Hospital Campus and Interstate 355, just north of Interstate 80.

An aerial view of the layout for the 100-acre Wintrust Crossroads Sports Complex. Phase 2, a multi-use fieldhouse, will be built after revenues from Phase I come in, saving any taxpayer dollars.
(Rendering provided)